Chapter 209 - Wiped Out

Restoring the sword sect was a crushing burden, far too heavy for Shi Yuqing to bear alone. Recruiting a young talent like Xu Ying would make her task vastly easier.

Her eyes sparkled as she thought, I’ll saddle him with all the hard, tedious, and dirty work! And I won’t even have to pay him!

Shi Yuqing searched her ethereal void, digging past countless tokens for venerables, elders, and chief disciples.

Moments later, she pulled out the jade token for the sword sect’s supreme elder. She handed it to Xu Ying solemnly. “Accepting this token makes you our supreme elder. From now on, if anyone in the sect runs into trouble, your duty demands that you lend your full strength to overcome it together.”

Xu Ying accepted the jade token, pondered for a moment, and said, “Sect Leader, it just so happens that I have something I need your help with.”

Noticing his troubled look, Shi Yuqing realized that he was an honest man too embarrassed to ask for help. “What is it? Is it also at the Homeward Pavilion? We’re fellow sect members now. Just say the word. I’ll do my best to help you!”

Xu Ying sighed in relief. “At the edge of the Homeward Pavilion is a granny who sells tea. She knows of my past, but I fear she won't talk. I thought of subduing her by force, but I doubt I can win.”

Shi Yuqing smiled. “Our sword sect’s disciples look out for one another, not to mention you’re the supreme elder. I can’t turn you down! Let’s go right away!”

She apologized to Venerable Cangyang, pulled him into her Bright Moon Wheel, and headed outside with Xu Ying.

The young girl unrolled an ancient map to navigate the terrain. Xu Ying leaned in to inspect it. The ancient scroll—likely an ancient blueprint of the Homeward Pavilion’s geography—stretched long and narrow, clearly marking every mountain range.

Even with a map, they still had to avoid the various creatures within the Homeward Pavilion carefully.

These creatures were once powerful Exorcists and Qi Cultivators; now, they had mutated beyond description.

As the pair walked through a dense forest, the trees rustled and turned toward their footsteps. Knots in the bark bulged into grotesque human eyes, tracking their every move.

Vines crawled between the trees. The vines’ roots were human torsos, lying down on the ground facing the sky, their gazes lifeless.

As they pressed forward, they saw the cliffs were covered in flesh and blood. Suddenly, the flesh split open, revealing a gigantic eye that filled the entire cliff face. It rolled around to stare at them.

Behind Shi Yuqing, the Bright Moon Wheel spun continuously, blasting bursts of freezing sword qi to clear away the green slime coating their path.

Along the way, they spotted shattered artifact fragments. Xu Ying picked up a shard; it was from a massive bronze cauldron. Its wall had the Dao avatar of a Qi Cultivator.

Qi Cultivators etched these avatars into their weapons to amplify their might.

“Yuqing, look!”

Xu Ying pointed at the Dao avatar imprints on the bronze cauldron fragment. “The Dao avatars are already distorted beyond recognition. Immortal Dao has to be behind this, as the Heavenly Dao’s influence isn’t that strong.”

Shi Yuqing stepped closer to look. She saw that some of the Dao avatars on the artifact fragment had exploded, while others were twisted into chaotic spirals, as if some bizarre force had destroyed these artifacts!

“I heard my sect seniors mention that we cultivate toward immortality to transcend the Three Realms and Five Elements. The Three Realms refer to the realms of man, ghost, and gods. The God Realm is the Heavenly Dao World, where heavenly gods reside.”

The young girl mused, "So the goal of becoming immortal is to let our own Dao leap out of the scope of Heavenly Dao and achieve transcendence.”

Xu Ying’s thoughts wandered, and he smiled. “Leap out of the Three Realms and no longer bound by the Five Elements? Can mortals really achieve transcendence and freedom through cultivation?”

Shi Yuqing smiled. “Of course! Our sword sect has ancestors who ascended to the Immortal Realm and achieved transcendence!”

However, her expression darkened instantly. Gritting her teeth, she continued, “But ever since the great evil blocked the path of ascension, no one has successfully ascended again! That damned great evil has doomed our sword sect’s ancestors!”

She gnashed her teeth, clearly harboring deep hatred toward that great evil.

Xu Ying hesitated. From what he knew, the great evil whom people always spoke of were actually two different people.

One was that super ascender who pushed the heavenly tribulation to the level of a super heavenly tribulation, making it so that no one else could overcome their tribulation and successfully ascend.

The other great evil was Xu Ying himself. He deduced this from what he had seen and heard on the Heavenly Path. After all, he had witnessed with his own eyes that he himself was the great evil who had destroyed the Heavenly Path!

He thought, I wonder which great evil Yuqing hates.

More shards littered the path ahead, each artifact fragment bearing warped, shattered patterns. As they pressed deeper, the Dao avatars showed less distortion, yet bore increasingly violent explosive damage.

Xu Ying caught up with Shi Yuqing and asked, “Yuqing, are we on the right path?”

Shi Yuqing looked at the map carefully and replied, “This is the path.”

Unease settled over Xu Ying. “Is there any other way?”

Shi Yuqing shook her head.

Xu Ying took the map from her, examined it, and couldn’t help but frown. Their current position left only one path to the Bridge of Oblivion; otherwise, they would have to scale the surrounding peaks and take a massive detour.

Moreover, the mountains on the map were heavily marked with cinnabar red circles, indicating dangerous, forbidden areas they shouldn’t enter.

Xu Ying asked, “What era is this map from?”

Shi Yuqing replied, “It’s said that the first patriarch left behind this map. He charted the entire Homeward Pavilion before his ascension, marking every zone we must avoid. Uncle-Master Cangyang relied on a copy of this very map to enter.”

Xu Ying frowned slightly. “The first patriarch lived forty-eight thousand years ago. Wouldn't the Homeward Pavilion's geography have shifted after all this time?”

Shi Yuqing’s confidence wavered, but neither had any choice but to push forward. Retreat was impossible.

Behind them, the vast green fog blocked any retreat.

Shi Yuqing told Xu Ying, “This green fog is an illusion. The first patriarch’s notes state that a mysterious force within the Homeward Pavilion generates it. This realm's rules of heaven and earth manifest as green fog to erase a traveler's memory of their escape route.

“Thus, no traveler leaves this place alive. Stepping inside guarantees only a journey toward death!”

Puzzled, Xu Ying said, “But why is there still a path of survival in Homeward Pavilion?”

Shi Yuqing smiled. “The first patriarch also touched on this point in his notes. He suspected an almighty cultivator used immense power to forcibly suppress the realm's rules, carving out a single lifeline.”

Xu Ying felt a surge of deep respect. "Who could alter the rule of heaven and earth, or even suppress it to leave behind a path of survival forcibly?”

Shi Yuqing replied, “The first patriarch speculated that since the path of survival is on the Bridge of Oblivion, then the one who suppressed the Great Dao of heaven and earth of Homeward Pavilion is likely the master of Hell River. He stated that it’s the granny who sells tea on the bridgehead.”

Xu Ying’s heart pounded like a drum as he cursed inwardly.

The granny Shi Yuqing mentioned selling tea must be Meng Po. Could she be that powerful?

Could her surname Meng use the character for ferocious instead?

Can we really take down Meng Po with the power of Master Jin, Master Zhong, Master Cao, and me?

Xu Ying thought of Master Qi and immediately ruled him out. We can’t. Although Master Jin is formidable, he can’t forcibly reverse the Great Dao of an area. Master Cao only has a chance if he burrows into Meng Po’s ethereal void, and Master Zhong is also a little lacking... Wait!

Cold sweat poured out of his forehead. He had gotten lost, so there was no way Jin Buyi and the others wouldn’t get lost too. With their speed, they had probably already arrived at the Bridge of Oblivion!

Knowing their characters, he was certain they had already attacked Meng Po.

Master Qi is level-headed. When I’m not around, he’s the anchor.

Xu Ying exhaled a breath of stale air. Master Qi would definitely keep them from making any reckless moves.

***

At the head of the Bridge of Oblivion, Yuanqi revealed his true form and was the first to charge straight at Meng Po, shouting, “Aba aba!”

The Purple Immortal Herb’s leaf fluttered on his forehead.

Behind him, Dazhong and Jin Buyi rushed forth as well!

At the bridgehead, the tea-selling granny’s aura rippled slightly. Suddenly, the celestial phenomena changed as darkness manifested behind her, revealing countless Bridges of Oblivion connected to the numerous heavenly domains in the darkness!

In those worlds, countless souls of the dead were walking on the bridges!

Meanwhile, the Hell River that connected the countless worlds became a vast river. Carrying countless dead souls, it surged beneath Meng Po, flowing through the starry sky of the universe, looking incredibly majestic!

Suddenly, the little granny’s form grew incomparably vast. The incoming snake was two to three hundred zhang, the giant bell was like a hill, and the Golden Crow was even larger. Yet before the “little” granny, they were like three flying bugs.

“Aba aba!”

The giant snake under the control of the Purple Immortal Herb wailed, tears flowing from his eyes like waterfalls. He turned around and fled the way he came.

Dazhong clanged loudly, stopped abruptly, and frantically turned to flee as well.

Only Jin Buyi continued flapping his wings, charging toward the “little” granny. Towering flames raged around him as he shouted fiercely, “Where are my sabers?”

Two streaks of snow-white light flew toward him. Swinging the twin sabers, Jin Buyi slashed down as he channeled his Solar True Fire to the limit, striking the tip of Meng Po’s nose.

Clang!

Next to Meng Po, a teacup flew into the air. Instantly, Jin Buyi felt the world spinning as he plummeted into the teacup.

The old Golden Crow sneered coldly, “I followed my master as he rampaged across the universe, soaring through the starry sky. I can pass through sun after sun with a single flap of my wings. You think you can subdue me? You’re dreaming!”

Flapping his wings, he turned into a bright rainbow and tore through the air.

With a few flaps, the Golden Crow flew out of the underworld and soared into outer space, heading toward the sun as he flew past one star after another.

Those stars were incomparably huge, sweeping past him in a flash. Jin Buyi felt a surge of pride in his heart. I’ve still got it, still as good as my prime... huh? Why am I here?

He slowed his pace, intending to stop and think about why he had come here, when a massive silver ring appeared behind him. It made the boundless space collapse toward it and pulled him along!

The silver ring swallowed the Golden Crow. After spitting the stars back out, the space returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the silver ring gradually shrank. It turned into a teacup and gently floated down, landing on Meng Po’s table.

“It’s been a long time since I made a move. I nearly let you get away.” Meng Po tipped her teacup slightly, exposing the giant snake, the immortal herb, the ancient bell, and the Golden Crow, all bound tightly and dangling beneath the Bridge of Oblivion.

Jin Buyi was hung upside down, carrying his divine sabers in his embrace, afraid of dropping them and getting them swept away by the Hell River. If they were swept away, there was no telling whether he could summon them back.

Yuanqi, Dazhong, and the Purple Immortal Herb had all accepted their fates. Yuanqi said, “I told you we should wait for Ah Ying, but that grave weed just wouldn’t wait and controlled me to charge ahead.”

The Purple Immortal Herb’s leaves drooped. He tried to struggle, but the golden rope bound him even tighter.

Dazhong said, “Don’t panic, everyone. Ah Ying will be here soon. Master Jin, you’re big. Scoot over that side a little. Leave some space for Ah Ying.”

Jin Buyi quickly shifted.

***

In the Homeward Pavilion, Xu Ying suddenly stopped in his tracks. Shi Yuqing also quickly stopped. A stone bridge lay before them, and beyond it was an ancient city shrouded in white fog, like an early spring morning in Jiangnan.

Four or five people stood motionless on the stone bridge.

One of them was facing Xu Ying and Shi Yuqing. His face was featureless, like a blank sheet of paper.

The others on the bridge were the same.

Cold sweat broke out on Shi Yuqing’s forehead. These people had all sealed themselves away like Cangyang, but their seals were more thorough!

Cangyang sealed only his Primordial Spirit, not his physical body.

Meanwhile, these people on the bridge had sealed their physical bodies as well!

“Something’s off!”

Xu Ying and Shi Yuqing exchanged a glance. With no way to retreat, they had no choice but to brace themselves and press forward. Shi Yuqing stuffed the map into Xu Ying’s hands. “Ah Ying, if I become like them later, you have to lead me out of here.”

She paused, then added, “If I cannot walk out of here alive, you’ll be the sect leader of the sword sect.”

Apologetic, she said, “I’m sorry. You just joined the sect today, but I’m already making you bear such a heavy burden.”

Xu Ying stepped onto the stone bridge cautiously, avoiding each faceless man standing on it. He whispered, “It’s best if restoring the Mount Shu Sword Sect is left to you. After all, you are the successor chosen by the ancestors.”

Shi Yuqing followed closely behind him, shifting forward carefully as she replied, “I need to be prepared. Someone has to succeed me if I die. I can’t let the sword sect end with me.”

The two finally crossed the stone bridge and set foot in the city, where generations of experts had lived here in seclusion to avoid death. Both Exorcists and Qi Cultivators lived here.

They stood there silently and motionlessly.

Their faces were blank.

Just as Xu Ying was about to pass through the city, Shi Yuqing’s trembling voice suddenly came from behind. “Ah Ying, I think an outside evil is invading me.”

Xu Ying turned around and saw the young girl bleeding from her eyes. Then, blood also began to flow from her nose.

However, they didn’t hear any Immortal Dao sound!

Shi Yuqing drew two slender swords and stabbed her own eyes, then drew another two and thrust them into her own ears. She cried out loud, “I’m leaving my life in your hands!”

She blocked her nostrils and sealed her mouth, standing there blankly without moving a muscle.

Xu Ying took out a belt, tied one end to her wrist and the other to his own, and led her toward the other end of the city.

At the center of the city, a bronze hall was sunk into the ground, tilted at an angle, with strange Dao sounds coming from within. The surrounding flowers, grass, trees, and people grew in crazy, distorted ways. The boundaries between plants, animals, and insects blurred.

The living and non-living could grow together.

Xu Ying suddenly felt a warmth in his nostrils. He raised his hand to touch, and found his hand covered in fresh blood.