Chapter 335: Head Teacher, it's time to abdicate.
Ji You was frantically rushing through the chaotic darkness, his Spiritual Qi rapidly depleting, forming a strong wind around him that made his immortal robes flutter.
As he traveled, his mood had become extremely heavy.
He had just felt the pressure of the Linxian Realm, and not just one, quickly departing from the direction of the ruins.
This meant his deduction was correct; the Sacred Artifact was indeed controlled. Otherwise, even if these demons entered the Linxian Realm, they wouldn't dare to show themselves easily under the might of the Sacred Artifact.
Amidst the howling wind, Ji You finally followed the malevolence to a familiar place.
The venue for the Youxian Assembly, Rihua County City. After the zombie tide erupted, almost all cities with Sects in the Qingyun World were destroyed into ruins by the Evil Seed. However, this large city now stood perfectly intact on the ground.
Ji You gripped the long sword in his hand and stepped into the city tower. Before he even walked out, he saw a towering black light connecting to the sky in the distance.
An endless stream of black Qi surged wildly from top to bottom within that black light.
At this moment, in front of the Kun Gate, a Human Race Dao field towering into the sky, comparable to the Northern Border City Wall.
The figures who had fought fiercely with the Six Great Immortal Sects in the forest earlier all appeared here, looking at the figure with golden eyes in the city tower, a hint of solemnity in their gaze.
"He actually managed to find his way here—"
"Patriarch Bai concealed his aura all the way, and Young Master Chu had already used the altar to obscure the Heavenly Dao. This place shouldn't have been spied upon at all!"
"This child has always been extraordinary."
Bai Zhengze's words plunged everyone into silence.
Indeed, this wasn't the first time he had appeared extraordinary.
Entering Tianshu Academy and sensing the Heavenly Book in five days, breaking the rules with force during the Autumn Tournament, slaying the Soldier King in the Snow Region—after that, he hadn't broken through his Realm, yet when news of him emerged again, his combat strength was already comparable to the Boundless Realm.
In fact, at first, not many people in the Qingyun World paid attention to him, but every time they did, he had already exceeded their expectations.
Even several times during this period, he had unconsciously disrupted parts of their plans, forcing them to take a roundabout approach. And today, despite the obscured Heavenly Dao, he followed closely.
Whoosh!!!
A faint breeze swept by, and Ji You, who had followed the malevolence through the city, instantly stopped.
The powerful stopping motion directly shattered the ruins beneath his feet. In that instant, an astonishing iron Saber Qi slashed through the air, instantly splitting open the teahouse that had already been reduced to ruins.
The figure holding the saber showed a hint of surprise, not expecting his hidden tracks to be discovered. Then, he heard a clear sword hum by his ear.
The Dao Sword rose sharply, and the two figures instantly bounced apart in collision.
At this moment, Ji You suddenly turned and saw a sword descending from the sky.
His figure retreated a hundred feet, his aura burning like fire, like a cannonball, he darted westward.
Suddenly, a Sword Qi shot up into the sky. Ji You's Dao Sword, with a shift of his body, spun in a circular slash.
The intense friction with the air instantly made the sword blade scorching hot, and then the mountain-like Dao Sword pressed down heavily.
The heavy Sword Qi was like lightning, cutting through a sonic boom in an instant.
Amidst a shower of sparks, the figure that followed was cut back, creating distance between them.
Ji You raised his head and looked forward.
Li Yunlang, the direct descendant of the Li Sect in Zhongzhou; Zhuang Zixin, a Disciple of the Zhuang Sect in Lingzhou; besides them, there was also his younger brother Zhuang You, Zhu Shun's Elder brother Zhu Yao, and Wei Bo, a Disciple of the Wei Sect in Qingzhou.
They were almost all of the same age, quite young, and their auras collided invisibly, causing a furious gale.
Ji You's gaze swept over them, his eyes slightly narrowed.
If only one or two of them had appeared here, he might not have seen any connection, but when these five people were together,
it was easy to think of the previous Tiandao Conference.
Because these people were all individuals who had once entered the Xianxian Holy Land.
Ji You's mind couldn't help but recall the malevolence he felt in the shattered center of the Xianxian Holy Land, and he also remembered the abnormal celestial phenomena and the blood mist tide that people talked about after he came out.
In fact, because of that malevolence, he had always suspected that the Xianxian Holy Land also had problems, but he had not found any clues. Now, he finally saw some indication.
And Li Yunlang and the others were also looking at him, their bloodshot eyes filled with complexity.
During the Tiandao Conference that year, Ji You had beaten them to pieces, so much so that even though they were all among the Ten Profound Disciples, everyone knew how great the gap was between the first and the subsequent nine.
Now, they had obtained immortal opportunities and their Realms had greatly increased. Every time they fought, they had an aura of devouring the world, as if they could cut through everything.
Who knew that even with two of them, and under the circumstances of a sneak attack, they still couldn't suppress him.
Ji You held his sword, confronting them, his aura hot and scalding, making their hearts pound like drums.
But he was bound to die—
At this moment, a strong Sword Qi, surrounded by black and red smoke, violently slashed out in the city.
Zhuang You, with an icy expression, unleashed a sword strike. He was originally a direct Disciple of Tianjian Peak, with Integration Realm combat power. At this moment, he possessed the might of a Divine Being, and the power of his sword Dao was terrifying to the extreme.
Ji You reacted instantly, using a sword slash as defense, but he was still brutally forced back three feet by that terrifying sword Dao.
The moment Zhuang You drew his sword, the remaining four moved in unison, with roaring iron swords, sharp iron sabers, and black and red heavenly light striking at him.
The world turned dark and chaotic, and a furious wind raged.
Under the intense killing intent, Ji You used his iron body to resist Zhuang You, while his left arm instantly swelled.
A powerful punch slammed violently to the right, explosively shattering the Heavenly Light Guide in Wei Bo's hand. Then, he suddenly grabbed his right shoulder and slammed into him.
In such a situation, he had few opportunities and could only kill the weakest one first to gain a nearly invisible chance of survival.
At this moment, a saber light, rising like a cold moon, had already slashed down with a roar.
"!!!!"
Ji You was violently sent flying, the strong Saber Qi slashing diagonally down from his shoulder, causing the fabric on his back to instantly burst open with blood.
And in that instant, Ji You, struck by the saber, had a momentary look of disorientation in his eyes.
"Wei Bo, kill him!"
As the Saber Qi fell, Zhu Shun instantly roared.
His saber had already solidly struck the opponent; now, only one more killing blow was needed.
Wei Bo, who was dragged away by Ji You, instantly revealed a fierce glint in his eyes. A Heavenly Light Guide had already condensed in his palm, trembling with a hair-raising killing intent.
But just as that killing intent was about to strike, Ji You suddenly threw a horizontal punch.
With a crack, Wei Bo's hand holding the spell was directly shattered. Amidst his agonizing screams, another punch brutally pierced through his sternum.
Then, summoning his sword again, Ji You, with blood overflowing from his mouth, attacked once more.
The muscles on his back were distinctly defined, like iron plates, tightly twisted together.
That was a body that had been locked tight before the Saber Qi fell, with both shoulder blades pushing all the muscles together. Yet, that saber strike left a deep wound on his back but did not injure any vital points.
His clothes weren't cut open; they were torn open by himself.
Zhu Shun murmured, his eyes already reflecting Ji You's figure charging to kill.
But at this moment, an even more powerful Sword Qi rose earlier than him.
Zhuang You, with the combat power of a Divine Being, slashed with his sword, and a sharp aura instantly met his neck.
However, at this moment, a figure whistled over, and a sword, as if cutting through the air, instantly filled the city with a deafening roar.
Gravity descended from the sky, directly breaking the Sword Qi, and Zhuang You and others were violently sent flying into Rihua City by the tsunami-like force field.
Chai Hu landed and turned around, narrowing his eyes at Wei Bo, whose chest was caved in, a slight twitch in the corner of his eye.
Besieged by five people, trapped in a killing formation, he actually managed to kill one.
The most crucial thing was, the one he was carrying, by all accounts, was already in the early Boundless Realm.
It was truly absurd, like a mother opening the door for absurdity, utterly ridiculous.
After gazing at him for a long time, Chai Hu's complex emotions finally settled. Then, he turned his head to look at the towering black light ahead, following it upwards for a long time, his eyes slightly narrowed.
So, they were using the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice as a foundation, creating a barrier between the Sacred Artifact and the Heavenly Dao.
"Can it be resolved?"
"Although I don't know what that black light is, it's not a sophisticated method. We just need to kill the ritual performer."
Chai Hu suddenly waved his hand, and he, along with Zuoqiuyang and other Upper Five Realms Perfection experts who had arrived, rose from the ground.
And just as they, carrying boundless immortal light, stepped into the city, those Upper Five Realms Perfection demons also became corrupted and attacked.
"Ji You, you rebellious Disciple, who told you to come alone?!"
Ji You, with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, had just taken a few breaths when he saw Cao Jinsong leading Wen Zhengxin and others running from behind.
Even Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, disregarding their status, squeezed around him. Everyone looked him over, their expressions grave. Fortunately, he was unharmed, which finally allowed everyone to relax slightly.
"What exactly happened? The Origin and all that, it's all confusing to me."
"Within the imitation Sacred Artifacts, there is the Origin extracted by the Head Teachers of various Sects from their Sacred Artifacts. This can be used to control the Sacred Artifacts in reverse. Some of the demons have already achieved the Linxian Realm. Now that the Sacred Artifacts are suppressed, they are going to attack the Immortal Sects."
Ji You gasped for breath, explaining the situation concisely.
"You've always had no good feelings for the Immortal Sects, why are you being the brave one this time, you—"
Cao Jinsong was angry at his recklessness, but he froze before he could finish his sentence. And Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu's words of agreement also stopped abruptly before they could be uttered.
This was not a complicated matter; one could understand it with a little thought.
If the Sacred Artifact was seized, the most dangerous person would be his cold and peerless wife at home.
Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu actually understood what their Master Jian was about to face when they heard Ji You shouting near the Great Barren Forest.
Master Jian had the highest talent among cultivators in the world, but she was too young and didn't have enough time to become a Linxian Realm expert.
If something went wrong with the Sacred Artifact, their Lingjian Mountain would be in the most danger.
They had been worried all the way, and it was only now, seeing their Young Master risking his life for this, that a ripple of emotion appeared in their worried eyes.
As Master Jian's personal maids, their hearts were naturally more inclined towards their Master Jian. Now, seeing the man Master Jian liked willing to fight for her, they naturally felt happy for her.
Meanwhile, only the Lu Family Sisters were still unaware of who truly held sway in the courtyard they wished to enter, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Now that the location has been found, don't be so anxious. The Palace Master should be able to resolve this matter. Those demons are just a bunch of trash who forcibly ascended their Realm."
"Indeed, no matter how thorough the plan, once exposed, it only depends on who is stronger and who is weaker."
Cao Jinsong and Wen Zhengxin comforted Ji You.
It must be said that the demons' plan was truly meticulous; if Ji You hadn't pinpointed their location, they might have actually succeeded.
However, once the final link was exposed, the situation changed.
The Human Race has flourished for thousands of years, and as the supreme existence among them, the Sects possess an immeasurable Legacy.
Even if those ancient Sects used the ruins to take a shortcut, the number of their powerhouses still couldn't compare to the Sects that had been accumulating strength for thousands of years.
After all, even among the Six Great Immortal Sects, it was impossible to determine how many foundational existences each possessed.
At the same time, the entire Shengjing was in chaos.
The news that the Great Xia array official confirmed the grand array was intact had spread everywhere, and everyone realized that the Sacred Artifact truly had a problem.
And the Qingyun World had just experienced the incident of the ancient Sects causing disaster, releasing Evil Seeds, and killing Sect successors, which drew worldwide condemnation.
The vast army had departed two days ago, and by calculation, today was precisely the day they would arrive at the ruins.
This was absolutely no coincidence.
This was a truly world-shaking change.
Compared to the rampant Evil Seeds or the demonic chaos, the Sacred Artifact's failure was the real world-shaking change.
And undoubtedly, this must have been the work of those allied ancient Sects.
But what did they intend to do?
As the Sect members remaining in Shengjing were discussing animatedly, their gazes suddenly sharpened.
Suddenly, a boundless pressure descended from the sky, as if a Divine Being had moved a giant mountain and cast it down.
Inside Chong Wang's mansion, countless Sect members were bent over, struggling to breathe, their eyes revealing a heart-stopping terror, as they saw a figure descend from the sky.
Chu Yu, the Old Ancestor of the Chu Sect, entered Shengjing, walked along Yong'an Avenue, and then Chang Sheng Avenue.
Before long, he arrived on the Nishan Sacred Path.
The Master's Courtyard Disciples, already in a frenzy over the grand array's failure, immediately drew their swords and stepped forward upon seeing someone suddenly walk onto the Sacred Path.
“Who goes there?!”
“Poof!!”
With an explosive sound, the Tianshu Academy Disciples standing in a row instantly turned into a sky full of blood mist.
Chu Yu entered Tianshu Academy as if entering an uninhabited land, looking at the gentle breeze swaying the willows on both banks of Bi Shui Lake, a nostalgic look appearing in his eyes.
The stone bridge was rebuilt, why is there an extra Master's Pavilion?
As he watched, he seemed to sense something and looked up, only to see several figures appear in front of the bamboo forest Zen courtyard on the back side of the towering Tianshu Peak.
Seeing this, Chu Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, then gracefully rose and flew towards the cloud-shrouded cliff.
At this moment, on the cliff, You Yingqiu, the Master of Jixiang Hall, Lü Fengchuan, the Master of Wuyu Hall, and Fishe, the Master of Wuchen Hall, as well as the Elders who remained in Tianshu Academy because their Qi and blood had dried up, were all looking at him, instantly as if facing a formidable enemy.
Although the lower echelons of Qingyun World still used postal and spirit platform methods for communication, those in high positions like them possessed secret arts for Divine Soul connection.
Previously in the Great Barren Forest, when everyone acted as the eyes for the Master of Mountain and Sea Pavilion, they used this secret art.
And not long before Chu Yu arrived at Tianshu Academy, they had already received Zuoqiuyang's message, seeing what happened in the mountains through his eyes, and also knowing why the Sacred Artifact had suddenly fallen silent.
What they needed to do now was to stall this person, waiting for Zuoqiuyang and the others to interrupt the ritual behind the scenes, which might offer a glimmer of hope.
At this moment, an old and frail Elder trembled forward, facing the newcomer, and spoke in a voice like a broken bellows.
“Chu Yu!”
“Senior Brother Changyin, a hundred years have passed in a blink of an eye, I trust you have been well.”
Chu Yu landed on the cliff, slowly cupping his hands towards him, his manners impeccable.
That Elder Changyin tremblingly pointed at him and said, “A wolf's ambition, a wolf's ambition!”
Chu Yu raised his head expressionlessly: “Senior Brother Changyin, your words are biased. Conflict has never been a new thing in Qingyun. I merely did what all of you wanted to do but couldn't.”
“Do what? Kill my Tianshu Academy Disciples?! Do you still remember when your Chu Sect was almost wiped out by Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion? It was our Head Teacher who protected you, allowed you to cultivate in the academy, and preserved your Legacy!”
“Tianshu Academy and Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion are all birds of a feather, one playing the good cop, the other the bad cop, merely covering up for each other.”
“You—!”
As they spoke, the wattle gate behind them was suddenly pushed open.
The Celestial Book Institute Head Teacher appeared, loosely dressed, his gaunt figure looking as if he would fall over in a breeze, slowly walking out.
He had just been loosening soil for flowers in the courtyard, and when he came out, he was still holding a short-handled hoe, looking at him with calm eyes: “Using the Heavenly Dao ritual to perceive heavenly secrets, plotting intricately, and then using the power of Origin to sever the connection between the Sacred Artifact and the Heavenly Dao—truly brilliant.”
Chu Yu looked at him calmly: “You flatter me, Head Teacher.”
“So you came today to replace me?”
“The Head Teacher has no children, and his Lifespan is nearing its end; it's time for a successor.”
The Head Teacher stroked his long beard: “You think that person should be you?”
Chu Yu looked up at the grand hall: “This Qingyun World has been dominated by your six families for too long. Everyone can no longer endure it. It's time for a change of dynasty and the establishment of a new order.”
“But I remember the grand aspiration you made in your youth was to destroy all Sacred Artifacts. Why have you suddenly changed your mind now?”
“It will be better than in your hands.”
“Will it?”
Chu Yu subconsciously stroked his non-existent beard: “I think, probably.”
The Head Teacher scrutinized him from head to toe: “Your body has become younger, and you speak like a child, but you are not as bright as you once were.”
“Bright?”
“Spirited and recklessly young.”
“I know the Head Teacher is stalling for time. The matter of the Heavenly Dao ritual certainly couldn't be hidden from you. I presume Sect members have already arrived in Rihua County, but it's useless. Since this game has begun, we have no retreat. It's either life or death, and we certainly won't leave any loopholes.”
Chu Yu spoke indifferently: “My grandson used the Heavenly Dao ritual to calculate countless times. You will always lose, never win. The Six Great Immortal Sects will no longer have any chance of survival.”
The Head Teacher raised his eyes: “Not even a little?”
“Not at all.”
“It seems you are determined to succeed.”
In the vast Risheng City, the Sect Disciples who rushed through the city gates looked horrified, their faces pale.
Within their line of sight, Zuoqiuyang and Bai Zhengze were locked in battle. The Celestial Book, condensed from illusory light, continuously slammed down, but its concentrated power grew weaker and weaker. They had to use all their might just to barely make it into the city.
But it was right there that the Celestial Book, formed by illusory light, completely disintegrated. Zuoqiuyang retreated a hundred feet, directly collapsing a civilian house.
At the same time, Chai Hu, who primarily cultivated strength techniques, was also directly struck, spitting blood, but the force field that suppressed all things was repeatedly torn apart as it tried to descend.
As for the other Upper Five Realms Perfection cultivators, they were also constrained as if their hands and feet were bound in this assault, and all their myriad techniques were suppressed.
Evil Qi—
The city was filled with Evil Qi.
The Disciples who had pursued them muttered, before them, the Evil Qi surged like a roaring black tide.
Unlike the faint, sky-filling Evil Qi around the ruins, the Evil Qi here almost submerged the entire town.
Its density was even more terrifying than that of Qi Ridge back then.
With every step forward, their absorption of Spiritual Qi became incredibly difficult.
But the most terrifying thing was that deep within this place, the connection between heaven and man simply couldn't be established.
Human Race cultivation originally relied on the power of heaven. Without the Heavenly Dao connection, they were now as if suppressed to a state of falling in Realm, and the higher one's cultivation, the stronger the confinement they experienced within it.
Conversely, although the demons were also affected, compared to them, they could be considered to be in their element.
Poof!
Black-red immortal light pierced through the city, and a burst of blood mist exploded.
The Disciples of the Six Great Immortal Sects instantly suffered heavy casualties, and their direct Saint was directly sent flying, severely collapsing a teahouse.
Huo Xingzhong, Chen Luo, and Chen Xi were not faring well either; the former had his palm directly torn off, while Chen Luo's arm was directly broken.
The Human Race altar was clearly not far away, but at this moment, they found it difficult to move an inch.
Because even taking one more step would result in even greater restrictions, almost equivalent to courting death.
Ji You had finished meditating by now, gazing at this scene for a long time, then took out all his Spirit Stones, adding them to those brought out by others, and with a thunderous punch, shattered them and incorporated them into the area.
The refined Spiritual Qi surging from the Spirit Stones instantly exploded within the Evil Qi. Seeing this, the Five Realms Perfection cultivators of the Sects began to take turns attacking and defending, relying on temporary recovery to continue their advance.
Whether the demonic creatures suddenly weakened or intentionally held back, this time they finally approached the Human Race altar.
But it was at this moment that everyone's expression changed.
Within the immensely vast Human Race altar, the surging Evil Qi was so viscous it seemed to solidify, continuously churning.
The demons watched them with sneering smiles, their eyes carrying bone-chilling coldness.
In fact, at this moment, even they, who were in their element within the Evil Qi, dared not enter the altar.
Because the Heavenly Dao ritual had already begun, and without a sacrifice as an anchor point, anyone who intruded would be like falling into a quagmire, losing their way and dissolving into the Dao.
And this heaven and earth had already been enveloped by endless Evil Qi, reaching up to the sky and down to the thick earth, and no one had the ability to destroy it from the outside.
This was an unsolvable death trap from the very beginning.
“Yan Shu, leave this place with your Second Grandfather.”
“Where can we go?”
On the Xuanhai Shore, at the peak of Xuanjian Peak, Yan Shuyi, dressed in the Master Jian immortal robe and wearing a glazed immortal crown, stood on the cloud-shrouded cliff, looking down at the terrifying aura approaching from the mountain, and asked calmly.
The two reclusive Old Ancestors of Xuanjian Peak spoke in a deep voice: “Flee, the farther the better.”
“I took over the spirit mirror at the age of five, and you told me that my destiny in this life was to guard the mountain. I am now twenty-four. If I flee now, wouldn't that mean my nineteen years were a joke?”
“Yan Shu!”
Yan Shuyi looked at her two Old Ancestors: “It's just dying with the mountain.”
She had not reached Upper Five Realms Perfection and could not communicate with Divine Souls, so she didn't know exactly what had happened.
But knowing that the demons were causing trouble and finding the spirit mirror silent, and now seeing a Linxian Realm cultivator approaching the mountain, she could naturally guess what had happened.
But how could the mountain she reluctantly guarded be handed over to someone else just because they wanted it?
(Seeking monthly votes)
