Chapter 581 - 526: Evolution and the Outer Sea

Chapter 581: Chapter 526: Evolution and the Outer Sea

"I’m telling you, the Chen Family is truly ruthless!"

"They put on such a huge show and fooled everyone. I heard that hundreds of thousands of people were used in the Chen Family’s blood sacrifice..."

"It’s a good thing I was in seclusion and didn’t go join the commotion. Otherwise, these old bones of mine would’ve probably ended up buried in Bazhou City..."

"Hahaha, Old Niu, don’t even talk. With your Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, you’d have been slaughtered before you even laid eyes on Bazhou City..."

"If you ask me, the Chen Family’s miscalculation this time probably has everything to do with that Chu True Master from Chixia."

"Haven’t you heard? When Bazhou City fell, even the legendary Qing Cang Ancestor stooped to attack Chu True Master personally..."

"I heard that after Chu True Master escaped the city, the Chen Family cast a Heaven and Earth Net. They supposedly sent dozens of Golden Core Powerhouses after him..."

"Besides, haven’t you seen the Wanted Order the Chen Family posted?"

"Everyone who’s anyone from the True Understanding Pavilion is listed on it with a bounty. And the rumor mill is churning, saying Chu True Master made off with all the grand finale treasures from the Bazhou auction..."

"They say that Loose Cultivator who caused such a stir in Bazhou is also connected to Chu True Master..."

"You all can stop dreaming. The Chen Family went to all that trouble and still couldn’t touch Chu True Master. Even if there were a real reward to be had, it wouldn’t just fall into our laps."

"We’d better figure out how to deal with the Chen Family’s Recruitment Order. We can dodge it for now, but not forever."

"Yunshan Island might be remote, and the fighting won’t reach us for a while, but I figure it’s only a matter of time before the Chen Family’s recruitment extends here..."

"What’s there to be afraid of? If worst comes to worst, we’ll just become Evil Cultivators. The Vast Sea is enormous. You really think there’s nowhere to hide?"

"And how long could you hide?"

"Once a war like this starts, it won’t be over in a year or two. Just look at the Righteous Alliance and the Longevity Sect in Great Chu. How many years have they been fighting?"

In a tavern in the Marketplace, cultivators gathered in small groups. Just like in a mundane tavern, they chattered back and forth, idly discussing the recent Bazhou catastrophe that had thrown the entire Cultivation Immortal Realm into an uproar. The place was bustling with noise.

On the second floor of the tavern, Chu Mu sat by a window with a pot of Spirit Wine and a plate of Tiger Shark Flesh. As he drank alone, a flicker of his Divine Soul—a pulse imperceptible to Low Tier Cultivators—spread out. Suddenly, all the tavern’s clamor, every conversation, whether blocked by an Array Prohibition or not, flowed into his ears.

The Bazhou catastrophe had clearly shaken the entire Cultivation Immortal Realm.

The fall of hundreds of thousands of cultivators, the great war between Nascent Soul Ancestors, Bazhou’s transformation into the Senluo Ghost Realm—even after half a year, these events remained the central topic of discussion throughout the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

As for how things developed afterward...

For Chu Mu, the developments were both expected and... unexpected.

After downing a cup of Spirit Wine, Chu Mu casually picked up a copy of the Wanted Order from his table. Just as the cultivators downstairs had gossiped, nearly everyone of note from the True Understanding Pavilion was listed on it. The Chen Family had declared them priority targets, their bounties announced to the entire world!

And he, Chu Mu, was at the very top of that list—the number one target. The bounty was so high, even he was a little tempted.

But this publicly announced Wanted Order wasn’t the only thing targeting him. It was accompanied by a flood of rumors, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Rumors claimed he had the grand finale treasures from the auction, that Zhao Shuang and the others with him held ancient legacies... All sorts of valuable things were now tied to his name.

It could all be summarized in four words: his treasure was his crime.

There was no way these half-true rumors could have spread so far and wide in just half a year without the Chen Family fanning the flames.

’Are they trying to make me... an enemy to the entire world?’

Chu Mu chuckled. With a flick of his finger, the Wanted Order disintegrated into ash.

The saying "his treasure was his crime" only applies to a child holding gold.

’And in the vast Cultivation Immortal Realm, I’m hardly a helpless child for anyone to push around.’

’Even if some powerhouse I can’t possibly resist decides they want what I have, they have to find me first!’

’If they can’t find me, being an enemy of the whole world poses no threat at all.’

The Chen Family’s ploys seemed less like a practical strategy and more like a desperate, angry tantrum. It was more symbolic than substantial.

Besides, given the current situation, it was doubtful the Chen Family even had the spare energy to worry about him.

From what he’d just overheard about the battle in Bazhou, the outcome hadn’t been particularly optimistic for the Chen Family.

The Nascent Soul Ancestors had battled fiercely for more than half a month, but according to the rumors, it all ended with a bang and a whimper.

While there were no reports of any Nascent Soul Ancestors being seriously injured or killed, the very lack of enemy casualties was, for the Chen Family, the greatest possible failure.

All those years of painstaking planning, all that effort, and in the end, it was all for nothing. Moreover, the various powers they had conspired against weren’t about to let the matter drop after escaping unscathed.

Based on what he’d just gathered, a mere few days after the Bazhou catastrophe, the Nine Heavens Sect, Celestial Star Alliance, Celestial Demon Sect, and Profound Nether Alliance had announced to the world they were forming an Alliance to wage war on the Chen Family.

For half a year, he had been in seclusion, healing his wounds.

And during that time, the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World had descended into utter chaos.

This time, however, the Chen Family’s response wasn’t as feeble as when they’d been beset by troubles from within and without. The exact reasons were hard to uncover, but one thing was certain: the Profound Serpent Race, which had been wreaking havoc across the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, must have reached some secret pact with the Chen Family, resulting in a truce.