Chapter 341: An Eventful Autumn
Humans have a self-healing ability, especially since Ji You's Physical Body inherently possessed vibrant vitality.
As long as his Meridians were opened, that vitality could slowly heal his injuries.
This was also a major direction for the early stages of treatment, because his current state was so fragile that he could shatter with a touch. He could only allow his own vitality to slowly repair him, and only after reaching a stable state could other methods be attempted.
This echoed You Dianzhu (Hall Master You)'s words: this matter might take countless hours, and the most important thing was patience.
During this period, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu brought the Lingjian Mountain group to Tianshu Academy, entering the Inner Courtyard under the pretext of discussing the handling of the Lasting Peace Race.
Initially, the Master's Courtyard staff truly believed they were there for official business, but upon entering the Inner Courtyard, they insisted on seeing Ji You.
Especially Ding and Zhuo, they adamantly insisted on staying by his side to care for him, not moving an inch.
You Yingqiu did not refuse their request. Remembering the strangeness Master had mentioned, she chatted with them a few more times.
The Lingjian Mountain Young Master Jian, without a spirit mirror in hand, could at most be a Boundless Realm Mid-stage cultivator, yet he managed to defend the Dao field when the Linxian Realm attacked. This matter was indeed somewhat strange.
"They said the Lingjian Mountain Young Master Jian was not injured and is currently overseeing the situation at Lingjian Mountain. Once things stabilize there, he will personally come to visit."
"He is indeed still alive."
"Who is Master referring to?"
"An old friend with terrible drinking habits."
The old man murmured, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, and while You Yingqiu wasn't looking, he went down the mountain to fetch a pot of wine.
Dan Sect remained in a state of closed-mountain.
The Six Great Immortal Sects of Qingyun World had allowed Dan Sect to rebuild back then, but on the condition that Dan Masters were not permitted to Cultivate, and they collectively used great divine power to restrict the furnace. This matter was also considered to have indirectly helped them survive a calamity.
However, although they were still in closed-mountain, their vigilance had lessened somewhat. Every so often, they would go down the mountain to purchase supplies and collect letters.
And Yuan Caiwei, after several days of delay, saw her Elder sister's message and then insisted on going down the mountain, but was stopped by her father, Yuan Li.
"This matter appears to be the demonic people failing to achieve their goal, but the balance has been broken. Qingyun World is no longer the Qingyun World of the past. What follows will be a long period of struggle and chaos. Your experience in the world is insufficient, and you will cause trouble for Dan Sect. Moreover, if you leave the mountain, My younger brother's mind will surely wander."
"Father, Ji You saved our entire Sect."
"I naturally know that, which is why I have arranged for Elder Danyang Zi to descend the mountain. His skill in alchemy is superior to yours, so you can rest assured."
Danyang Zi left Dan Mountain after receiving the Master Jian's imperial order and traveled through a secret path to Tianshu Academy to treat him.
His conclusion was consistent with the opinions of the two Hall Lords.
Ji You was drained to the point of emptiness, his body extremely weak. The best way was to open his Meridians and use his own vitality to nourish himself first.
Because whether it was a Medicinal Pill or external objects, to him in his current state, they were all external forces, and external forces would inevitably increase his current burden.
The best method was for his own vitality to repair his body to a stable foundation, and then administer Medicinal Pills and techniques to him.
Thereafter, Jixiang Hall had a steady stream of visitors.
Cao Jinsong, Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and the Lu Family Sisters would come to visit at the times arranged by You Yingqiu. There was also Kuang Cheng, and Wei Rui.
They returned to Shengjing with Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu. After all, Kuang Cheng was inherently restless, and hearing that Ji You was seriously injured made him even more so.
Yan Shu also felt that Ji You had, in a way, protected the Legacy of the Six Great Immortal Sects. At least on the surface, they could no longer target Ji You, so returning now was a good opportunity.
Aside from these visitors, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu resided permanently in the rear hall of Jixiang Hall, taking turns to watch over him.
Elder Danyang Zi of Dan Sect lived in the Immortal Guest Garden in the Inner Courtyard, coming once every so often.
There was also an old doctor who would come to Jixiang Hall every evening to treat Ji You. Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu would feel sleepy every time this happened.
They didn't know what was going on.
Additionally, Tianshu Academy also prepared a memorial ceremony for the victims of this catastrophe.
All the Elders, Inner and Outer Courtyard Disciples, and those who perished here were displayed in portrait form on the right side of the Ascension White Jade Platform.
But the matters here did not end there.
Those demonic people from the Linxian Realm had indeed died, but many things had not been fully understood.
Their entire plan, those unknown details, and whether anyone else was involved.
These matters naturally left traces, because after the Heavenly Dao sacrifice was severed by Ji You, many living captives were arrested by the Upper Five Realms Perfection cultivators of the Six Great Immortal Sects.
Those people were first detained in Risheng County, suppressed by Sacred Artifacts, and then sent into a specially constructed dungeon connected to a grand formation, quickly built by the Immortal Supervisory Department.
People from all Six Great Immortal Sects were permanently stationed around the dungeon, strictly guarding and continuously interrogating them.
After the height of summer, a light drizzle gradually visited Qingyun World.
Bai Rulong, led by Mu Qing, the Director of the Immortal Supervisory Department, walked through the long corridors deep within the dungeon.
To connect with the grand formation, this dungeon was built underground, with no light from the outside. Only oil lamps provided illumination, making it appear extremely dim. Walking within it gave one a suffocating sense of oppression.
Before long, Bai Rulong was led into a solitary cell deep inside.
By the dim candlelight, he saw his father in the cage.
Bai Zhengze, the Family Head of the Bai Family, looked utterly disheveled.
In the battle at the ruins, all his clothes were torn and looked dirty and messy. Coupled with living in confinement for a long time,
his spirit had also reached its limit.
Seeing this scene, Bai Rulong didn't know what emotions he should display, so he could only remain numbly silent.
Bai Zhengze also saw his son by the candlelight. After gazing at him for a long time, he couldn't help but ask, "Why have you come here?"
"I want to ask Father why things turned out this way."
"Do you think I was wrong?"
Bai Rulong looked at him: "I can't bring myself to think Father was right."
Bai Zhengze sneered: "In this world, there is no right or wrong, only winning or losing. We are wrong because we lost. If we had won, history would not be written this way."
"Then how would it be written?"
"Naturally, it would say the Bai Family controlled Zhongzhou, their power rivaling the Immortal Sects, with congratulations coming from all directions."
Bai Rulong stared at him with reddened eyes: "Is power truly that important?"
Bai Zhengze narrowed his eyes: "Without power, you will always be at the bottom. No matter how hard you try, you can only remain subservient, forced to humbly smile and apologize even when suppressed by a thousand-year-old Sect. What I did was for the glory of the Family. You must understand, opportunities to overturn this world are few. Taking a gamble is worth it."
"If our Bai Family had a deep-seated grudge against others, I could understand it. But Father, was it merely for desire?"
"Our Family indeed has no deep-seated grudges with others, yet we are constantly declining at the bottom of the Immortal Families. I have Cultivated for countless years and still cannot break through to a new Realm, only able to endure and exhaust my Lifespan. You are still young, and may not understand the torment within this."
Bai Rulong looked at him expressionlessly: "So you turned your Family members into nourishment for your own breakthrough, including your own son?"
Bai Zhengze's face suddenly darkened: "If this battle had been won, those people would surely have been invited into the ancestral hall, to receive incense offerings from generations of Bai Family Disciples. Your younger brother, Ru Long, would even be placed in the first row, regarded as a heroic spirit."
"But Father, you originally chose me, didn't you?
As his voice fell, the cell suddenly fell into silence, as if the candlelight and air had solidified simultaneously.
Bai Rulong looked at his father, who was staring at him, and murmured, "When I first entered Tianshu Academy, I received a Medicinal Pill from Father. I was overwhelmed, but only now do I understand that it was something that could turn me into a monster."
Bai Zhengze suddenly let out a laugh: "Indeed, because of your laziness, I later had no choice but to choose Ru Long, and spared your useless life."
"But you chose Ru Long and also killed my second mother, which shows you didn't love them much either. Anyone in your eyes can be sacrificed."
"One who achieves great things naturally cannot be constrained by minor details."
Bai Rulong suddenly exhaled, then slowly stood up and walked towards the outside of the cell.
Actually, he didn't understand grand affairs of the world, and he truly was a useless person, even lacking much initiative and easily swayed by others.
So, aside from their acts of killing people to refine medicine and harming infants, he could slightly understand his father's desire for power and to strive upwards.
It was just that from his own emotional perspective, he couldn't find a reasonable excuse to convince himself.
When he was rescued by Ji You in Zhongzhou, he saw many Evil Seeds and felt that his father hadn't intended for him to live.
But when the Six Great Immortal Sects issued their punitive declaration, a glimmer of hope sparked within him.
He wondered if his father was afraid of failing at the last moment, and deliberately acted incredibly cold, cutting ties with him in front of the world, so that even if they failed, he wouldn't be implicated.
But just as he kept recalling, trying to find more corroborating evidence to confirm this speculation, he suddenly remembered that box of Medicinal Pills, and at the same time, he remembered the phrase “for the Family’s honor.”
At that moment, he was on the verge of collapse.
Because he suddenly understood that he should have been in Bai Si Hu’s role.
The reason he didn’t eat it at the time was because he always found it strange; his father had always favored Bai Si Hu more, so such an Immortal Medicinal Pill should never have fallen to him.
Bai Rulong walked out of the dungeon, remained silent for a long time after seeing the sunlight, and then bowed slowly to Mu Qing: “Thank you, Mu Tisi, for making this possible. I know the Six Great Immortal Sects have issued an order prohibiting anyone from visiting.”
Mu Qing shook her head: “Dispatching to the Snow Region, transporting demon stones, purging Evil Seeds, and disaster relief during the New Year—Ji Gongzi has helped us a great deal. Since Young Master Bai is his friend, we will certainly help where we can.”
After a moment of silence, Bai Rulong asked again: “Do you think what my father said makes sense?”
“Just an excuse.”
“Is it an excuse?”
Mu Qing looked at the distant sky: “Humiliation? Oppression? You Sects do not engage in production yet consume all the offerings from the world. Although there are indeed high and low statuses,
at the very least, you all can die peacefully and will not starve or freeze to death. To use such a statement as a banner is truly a bit ridiculous.”
Bai Rulong clenched his fists after hearing this: “Perhaps I truly don’t understand my father’s painstaking efforts for the Family?”
“Young Master Bai, do not be misled. If your kin are all eaten, where is the Bai Family? That is merely your father’s desire. The Bai Family you envision consists of the people you know, your brothers and sisters, your uncles and aunts. The Bai Family he speaks of is just himself; it’s different.”
“So that’s how it is—”
Bai Rulong murmured, as if lost his soul, and returned to Tianshu Academy.
Early the next morning, he specifically went to Jixiang Hall to visit Ji You, who was still in a coma, and then left Tianshu Academy alone, returning to the dilapidated Bai Family in Central Province.
The Outer Courtyard Disciples who were in the same class as Ji You had long since completed their studies, and even if this catastrophe hadn’t happened, they should have left the academy.
And in addition to constantly interrogating the demon people who were captured on the spot, the Immortal Sect was also continuously searching for those who had fled.
Within just three days, thirteen of the thirty-six fleeing individuals had been apprehended and executed.
Qingyun World is indeed vast, but just as the evaluation Ji You received for killing five Boundless Realm cultivators to protect Dan Mountain back then stated, where can one escape to after offending the Immortal Sect?
The only ones still lurking were five members of the Liangzhou Du Family, ten members of the Li Family in Central Province, and several other Sect leaders who participated in this matter.
Perhaps the continuous pursuit made them exasperated, giving them a feeling of giving up. These people continuously committed massacres during their escape.
As a result, Central Province, Liang Province, and even Qing Province and Yong Province were filled with panic.
Although the Sacred Artifact had revived, and without the Linxian Realm, they posed no threat to the Immortal Sect, they were still an irresistible force for those Sects that had already suffered heavy losses.
After all, these individuals had monstrous Realms and extremely high combat power.
Under the moon-shrouded night, the Li Family members fled, bypassing Liang Province to the northeast of Ling Province, passing through the northwest of Qing Province, and once again entering the vicinity of the ruins.
Dozens of Elders from Tianshu Academy and Chen Clan pursued them to this point, but unexpectedly encountered a group of Elders from Asked the Dao Sect, Lingjian Mountain, and Mountain and Sea Pavilion.
After a brief conversation, they learned that the other party had come here in pursuit of the Du Family Lasting Peace Race.
After the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice was cut off, the Sect members eagerly returned to their Sects, and the sea-like Evil Qi from the Human Race altar dispersed into the forest, leaving the area around the ruins unguarded.
They were unaffected by the Evil Qi within it, but it could block the pursuing powerful enemies, which indeed was an excellent choice.
However, this way, they became trapped beasts.
Moreover, the Evil Qi in the ruins would eventually dissipate, and then they would have nowhere to escape.
Therefore, the pursuers were not in a hurry and chose to besiege them.
The surrounding Sects also suffered greatly; although they could not confront them directly, they sent countless collateral branch Disciples to help the Immortal Sect contain the demon people.
Everything was as expected; the Evil Qi was indeed gradually dissipating, and the encirclement began to slowly advance.
However, just as Yuan Li, the Dan Sect Master, said, although the demon people were successively executed, the problem was that the millennium-long balance of Qingyun had been broken, which would inevitably lead to greater disputes, and this was unavoidable.
The Human Race has written history for thousands of years, and after every major upheaval, such signs of unrest would appear.
In autumn, Qingyun did not remain peaceful for long after the disaster. Various local Sects began to act frequently. For example, the Guo Family in Central Province claimed that their young lady had gone missing, and countless Sect Disciples appeared around the annihilated Sects.
Other Families were not to be outdone, claiming that treasures were stolen or relatives assassinated. All sorts of reasons emerged, leading to widespread conflicts. “It truly is a tumultuous autumn. The tribulation has just passed, and the world is already in chaos.”
Chong Wang stood in his residence, facing a group of pro-Immortal Sect officials, including Wei Li, and couldn’t help but murmur.
Wei Li looked at Chong Wang at this moment: “Turbulence can sometimes be an opportunity.”
“Indeed, turbulence is also an opportunity. Since the Immortal Supervisor took the stage, our pro-Immortal faction has been neglected. The current situation is chaotic, but it will inevitably create countless stronger Sects. We should place our bets wisely.”
“The Li Family is now annihilated, leaving behind a large inheritance. Although the He Family and Zuoqiu Family also suffered heavy losses, they are backed by the Immortal Sect. I think Central Province will definitely be taken over by them. When the corpse tide attacked, we formed a bond with them in Shengjing, and we must maintain it well afterward.”
Wei Li raised his head after hearing this: “There is also You Province. You Province has always been dominated by the Chu Family, and now it will certainly be closely watched. As for the other six provinces, they all have value worth coveting.”
The facts were just as these pro-Immortal Sect factions predicted; various disputes continued to escalate.
Other weaker Sects did not sit idly by but secretly allied and competed with each other, and long-standing friendships and enmities began to re-emerge at this moment.
As for You Province, the You Province, having lost the Chu Family, was now like an ownerless pastry, quickly attracting countless Sects to send people to establish a presence.
And the almost completely destroyed Liang Province and Qing Province saw constant movement from Sects, and the resulting impact began to become even more far-reaching.
This feeling was as if those demon people had reshuffled the world; although they failed to reap the final fruit, they truly dragged Qingyun into a chaotic era.
In fact, according to the rules, with the Immortal Sect guarding Qingyun, the cake would by no means be divided by the Sects.
But the problem was that after this great catastrophe, the Immortal Sect seemed to be too busy to attend to so many matters.
Because shortly after the disputes suddenly arose, everyone heard that an internal strife was also breaking out within the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, causing countless deaths and injuries.
Additionally, Chen Clan announced a temporary mountain seal up, for unknown reasons, which further fueled this fierce tide of chaos.
At the old site of the Li Family under the night sky, several figures moved stealthily. After some searching, a magnificent Saber Qi descended from the sky, and blood splattered in an instant.
At the same time, whistling sounds suddenly appeared from all directions, and someone gathered a beam of sharp immortal light, approaching with murderous intent.
The Li Family was a millennium-old Sect with a profound Legacy. Their Family’s secret arts, ancient texts, and countless hidden treasures, even a small portion of which would be enough to elevate a young Sect to a new level.
At that moment, a young Cultivator seemed to be clutching something, flying madly outwards.
But before he could run too far, a beam of immortal light crashed down, instantly shattering him into a mist of blood. The object in his hand quickly attracted several figures who fought over it.
At the same time, in Chu City, You Province, waves of shadowy figures began to gather outside the city. With the sound of a porcelain cup shattering, Killing Intent surged instantly.
In just a breath, spells and the clash of blades and swords whistled hundreds of times.
On the white marble stone path, blood instantly poured like rain, and the fishy smell filled the entire city.
The residents of Chu City’s outer city were mostly distant relatives of the Chu Family with very thin Bloodlines, and there were also many Mortals. At this moment, they were all hiding in their homes, trembling.
Things were just as Bai Zhengze and Bai Rulong had said: in Qingyun, where class divisions were extremely clear, turmoil was rare, and each occurrence was worth fighting for.
Boom!!!!
As the war intensified, a thunderous roar came from the northeast, shaking all directions.
In Shengjing City, countless patrons in tea houses and taverns couldn’t help but lower their heads, watching the tea and wine in their cups tremble continuously for several hours.
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