Chapter 566 - 512: The Chasm Becomes a Smooth Path

Chapter 566: Chapter 512: The Chasm Becomes a Smooth Path

The northern district of the city.

The successive fall of several Golden Core Cultivators had left the northern district in ruins, but it also unequivocally signaled the absolute end of the chaos there.

The reestablishment of order began swiftly. Amidst the rubble and ruins, squads of Cultivators from the Chen Family and the Overlord Saber Alliance moved about. The surviving Loose Cultivators were, without exception, forcibly conscripted and placed under strict control. All Battles were forbidden, all... bloodshed was forbidden!

Of course, after surviving such a catastrophe, the many Loose Cultivators could no longer harbor a shred of trust for the Chen Family, or indeed any other power in the city.

But it was equally obvious that in the face of absolute power, no dissent would ever be permitted.

Squads of surviving Cultivators were gathered under the watch of the Chen Family and the Overlord Saber Alliance. A simple and crude, yet extremely effective, order was thus established in the ravaged northern district.

And as the Chen Family suppressed the various powers throughout the city, this new order spread rapidly across its entirety.

For the Chen Family, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

For the other powers in the city, however, it was a state of tragic despair.

One after another, Golden Cores fell. One after another, factions were swept aside by the Chen Family, driven to despair as their Nascent Soul Ancestors were trapped and their Golden Core True Masters were slain.

Some managed to self-detonate in a final act of defiance, but most were bound and imprisoned like swine, awaiting their predetermined fate.

The remaining resistance grew increasingly difficult, increasingly hopeless.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Amidst the muffled roars, Chu Mu, who had been fighting bitterly for a long time amongst the ruins, was now looking visibly battered.

He had not yet reached the point of utter exhaustion, but it seemed that point was not far off.

Within his line of sight alone, he could see several streaks of Golden Core Tunneling Light flying toward him.

And in this southern part of the city, only he and Extreme Yin True Master remained, two Golden Cores struggling to hold on. It was undeniably clear who their pursuers were after.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, surrender peacefully. With your talent, my clan will certainly treat you generously!"

Perhaps feeling that victory was already in his grasp, a Chen Family Golden Core cultivator called out to persuade him.

"Let’s see if you can defeat the saber in my hands first, fellow Daoists,"

Chu Mu’s voice was calm. With a sweep of his sleeve, several beams of bright Saber Qi descended, colliding with the incoming attacks and annihilating them in an instant.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened!

Just to Chu Mu’s right front, in a patch of empty space, ripples suddenly pulsed. Immediately after, two Golden Wheels shaped like crescent moons appeared.

One Golden Wheel was dark gold, the other a bright silver. They spun in the air like a revolving yin-yang wheel. Their edges were chillingly sharp, and the instant they appeared, wisps of coldness radiated from them. Like two falling crescent moons, they crossed a distance of several hundred zhang in a flash, arriving before Chu Mu in the blink of an eye.

"Hmph!"

He snorted coldly, the sound like a clap of thunder. Brilliant Saber Qi filled the sky, surging forth with his snort. He pushed a palm forward, and a torrent of Saber Qi, like a great river, swept toward the two approaching Golden Wheels.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The two Golden Wheels were like the sun and moon crossing the sky, wreaking havoc within the torrent of Saber Qi. Even the sharpness of his Sword Intent couldn’t seem to harm them in the slightest.

Each rotation of the Golden Wheels resulted in a continuous collision with countless rays of Saber Qi, annihilating them one after another. The ear-piercing clang of metal on metal rang out incessantly.

However, Chu Mu’s attention was not on the seemingly threatening Golden Wheels. His gaze shifted, fixing on a point in the empty space not far in front of him.

"Fairy, you’ve been watching for quite some time. Are you not planning to show yourself?"

His voice was even, but his actions showed no mercy.

As he spoke, another torrent of Saber Qi surged forth. The void instantly erupted with a series of white ripples. The Saber Qi swept up all the explosions, consolidating them into a single line that shot rapidly toward the distant void.

But just as the torrent of Saber Qi arrived, a faint, translucent figure emerged from the void. A jade-like palm reached out, and the rampaging torrent of Saber Qi froze in mid-air before shattering with a deafening crash a moment later.

"Is this how you welcome an old acquaintance, Fellow Daoist? Is this how you welcome Qing Ling?"

The figure slowly revealed herself, her body solidifying from its translucent state. She wore a long, light-green dress, her beautiful hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her skin was as smooth as fine jade. She looked like a young woman who had stepped right out of a painting.

The young woman swiped her hand, her jade-like palm glowing faintly. The gold and silver crescent moons spun before her. With her dress fluttering, the scene was quite picturesque.

At this, the several Nascent Soul cultivators who had been besieging Chu Mu ceased their attacks and stood behind the young woman.

"ROAR!"

Wangcai let out a roar and was about to give chase, but Chu Mu called him back. The Corpse Puppet was much more obedient. At Chu Mu’s command, it took a few steps and stood behind him, as still as a statue.

Seeing Chu Mu’s silence, Qing Ling lifted a finger to brush a strand of dark hair from her forehead. Her tone was certain. "Fellow Daoist, you must be the Longevity Sect’s mysterious Ninth True Inheritor, aren’t you?"

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow. "Fairy, what makes you say that?"

"The position of a Longevity True Inheritor has always been held by geniuses of unparalleled talent. Every single Longevity True Inheritor is a famous figure in the Cultivation Immortal Realm."

"Only the Ninth True Inheritor was unheard of before their enfeoffment, and has not been seen for years since."

"Looking back at all the extraordinarily talented Cultivators in the Cultivation Immortal Realm in recent years, I’m afraid none can compare to you, Fellow Daoist."

"A True Cultivator of Sword Intent, a master with Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency, skilled in the Puppetry Skill, and knowledgeable in the Array Dao... such talent..."

Chu Mu chuckled. "Have you forgotten, Fellow Daoist? I was once a wanted criminal of the Longevity Sect!"

Qing Ling smiled sweetly. "Fellow Daoist, you are now a major criminal to my clan as well. If you are willing to submit to us, I, Qing Ling, guarantee that your treatment will be no less than that of a Longevity True Inheritor!"

"Everything that has happened before will be forgiven and forgotten!"

As she said this, everyone present looked on as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

In the wars of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, there has always been a tacit, unwritten rule since ancient times.

War is war, and spoils are spoils.

War is the slaughter between Cultivators on both sides; it is a matter of ’to the victor go the spoils’.

The spoils include territory, various resources, and also the various skilled Cultivators that the opposing side spent immense resources to train.

For any of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation Immortal, its practice is a combination of talent, resources, time, and effort.

Any accomplished Alchemist or Artifact Refiner is an extremely precious asset, a valuable treasure to any power.

War is war, but unless it is a war of annihilation born from a blood feud, no one would kill skilled practitioners once the overall situation has been decided.

After all, once the war is won, with little more than a piece of paper representing a contract, one can turn the valuable resources their opponent worked so hard to cultivate into their own, thereby enriching their own foundation.

So why wouldn’t they?

Right now, this very logic was clearly being applied to Chu Mu, an Alchemy Master and an Artifact Refining Master.

It was the most natural thing in the world; no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

At this, Chu Mu did not answer, but changed the subject.

"Before I came to Bazhou, it was you, Fairy, who advised me."

"Were you already plotting against me back then?"

"Merely... giving a push to the boat in the right direction."

"Fellow Daoist, you are so incredibly talented, yet you have always been unwilling to serve my clan. You even repeatedly refused our invitations and kept your distance from us."

"’A thousand-mile dike can collapse from a single anthill.’ Taking a few precautions in advance... I’m sure you can understand, can’t you, Fellow Daoist?"

Qing Ling’s expression was calm, as if she were speaking of something utterly ordinary and perfectly reasonable.

"Of course I can understand."

Chu Mu chuckled, stroking Wangcai’s fur as if pondering his options.

Then, Qing Ling spoke again.

"As long as you submit to my clan, Fellow Daoist, we will not take back Xuanyu True Master’s treasure. Consider it a small congratulatory gift for you."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised. But at this moment, he had no mind to dwell on what "Xuanyu True Master’s treasure" she was referring to. His thoughts churned, and he fell silent once more.

Qing Ling and the crowd of Chen Family Golden Core cultivators also said no more, silently waiting for Chu Mu’s answer.

For many years in the Vast Sea, his fame for Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency was in a league of its own throughout the entire Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

Quite a few among them had dealings with him in the past.

If such a person could be brought into their clan, it would be an incredibly profitable venture from any perspective.

A little patience was the most insignificant price to pay.

The scene fell silent, and everyone’s gaze converged on Chu Mu.

But at this moment, Chu Mu seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up toward the city center. The twelve Puppets remained motionless, like twelve statues.

A vast amount of Blood Qi was surging, but it remained suppressed within the Blood Evil Array, constrained by the Blood Killing Array and the twelve unmoving Soldier Puppets.

’According to my plan, the Blood Qi was supposed to accumulate until it reached the Blood Evil Array’s limit, forcing the Grand Array to collapse.’

’But now, under the Chen Family’s thunderous suppression, this goal was clearly out of reach.’

But there was one thing he seemed to have overlooked.

’The Blood Evil Array itself existed to absorb Blood Qi.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

’Its ability to absorb Blood Qi wasn’t just passive, either.’

’The Blood Qi, condensed from devouring the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of living beings, would inevitably contain a Cultivator’s entire life’s worth of Cultivation, Essence, Qi, and Spirit. It would also be tainted with the thoughts and desires of the devoured Cultivators.’

’The Blood Qi from one living being, from ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand...’

’By now, how many living beings had fallen in Bazhou City?’

’For such a vast amount of Blood Qi to accumulate without dissipating... it meant endless evil and chaos!’

’And since the tendrils and veins of this Blood Evil Array spread throughout the entire city, it meant the Blood Qi didn’t even need to reach its absolute limit. It only had to accumulate to a certain level, and then the water would overflow the dam!’

’That chaotic and malevolent Blood Qi would then follow the veins and tendrils of the Blood Evil Array and spread to every corner of the city.’

’The evil and chaos of the Blood Qi meant little to High Tier Cultivators; it could not shake their Heart Spirit.’

’But for the countless surviving Low Tier Cultivators in the city, it would be an undeniable... great terror!’

’The new order that the Chen Family had established by suppressing all other factions was able to intimidate people because the Chen Family’s power was irresistible, and because human Spiritual Wisdom naturally seeks advantages and avoids harm, clinging to hopes of survival.’

’But once the chaotic evil of the Blood Qi spread throughout the city via the Blood Evil Array...’

’It would inevitably lead to endless chaos and evil bewitching the hearts and minds of the people, infinitely amplifying their darker aspects and shaking the foundations of their reason...’

’When every Cultivator in the city became a puppet controlled by their desires, the chaos the Chen Family had painstakingly suppressed, the peace they had just reestablished, would instantly crumble. The city would be drenched in blood...’

’This also meant that the bloodshed could not be stopped.’

’And at the same time, it meant that the Array-Breaking Technique using Blood Qi, which had seemed so out of reach, would now be right at his fingertips.’

’A chasm had become a smooth path!’

...