Chapter 728 220: Something Happened to Zhou Qing (Part 2)

The Saint Martial Emperor nodded, his expression complex. "I do not have much time left. The longer I can watch, the more I will see. This is my only path to survival. After I die, I too will return to that place. If I can emerge from it, I can lead the Great Zhou Country to even greater prosperity and offer its people better protection."

"How could his path possibly influence me? My will is already unshakable. It will not be swayed."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Chen sighed but said nothing.

The Saint Martial Emperor retracted his gaze and asked, "How is Shen Bai? I have been so occupied with state affairs these past few days that I have neglected him."

A rare smile appeared on Eunuch Chen's face. "All the Demonic Forces in Lingyun Dao have been completely eradicated. The traitor from the Celestial Pride Salvation Society who escaped is also dead. However, Lingyun Dao lost the populations of three counties."

Hearing this, the Saint Martial Emperor slammed his hand on the table beside him and said furiously, "The world's turmoil is intrinsically linked to Cultivators! If everyone were a titan, or if everyone were ordinary, the world would be far more peaceful."

Eunuch Chen nodded. "Your Majesty, such an idea is world-shaking. But it seems the world is set in its ways, impossible to change."

"What I *can* change is the lives of the people of the Great Zhou Country, to make them better. I am well aware of the limits of my power."

The Saint Martial Emperor said slowly, "I hope that after I am gone, the Great Zhou Country can have at least a brief period of peace. This would give Shen Bai more time to rise, and my Great Zhou would gain another pillar of stability."

Eunuch Chen said no more, simply pouring a cup of tea for the Saint Martial Emperor.

The Saint Martial Emperor stared at the cup on the table, at the leaves floating in the tea, and remained silent for a long time.

Factions across the land were in motion, all observing this grand spectacle. Within the projection, the Drunken Daoist had already stepped slowly into the blurred Space.

Behind him, boundless Daoist Skill twisted the very sky to its limit.

A fissure opened in the blurred Space, revealing the Drunken Daoist's figure within.

It was a land of silent desolation. As far as the eye could see, there was only death and despair.

The ground was scorched black as charcoal, and with every step, one could feel the encroaching aura of desolation.

The moment the Drunken Daoist took that step, the terrifying, twisted Daoist Skill at his back began to erode under the Power of Desolation.

The Drunken Daoist began to speak, his voice traveling through the projection to every corner of the world.

"The Power of Desolation can erode one's will, one's Qi, and even one's Divine Soul. Should any of you attempt to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land in the future, you must be prepared in these three areas."

He was teaching through personal demonstration, using his own body as the lesson.

The most powerful figures in the world silently committed his words to memory.

The Drunken Daoist took another slow step forward and continued, "With every step deeper, the Power of Desolation multiplies. At this rate, I doubt I'll make it a hundred steps. Let's try for a hundred and see."

With that, the Drunken Daoist began to walk slowly forward.

Even for someone of his power, each step was agonizingly slow and difficult, as if he carried a colossal mountain on his back.

The terrifying Power of Desolation caused the Daoist Skill enveloping the Drunken Daoist's body to waver.

The moment the multicolored radiance began to flicker, the Drunken Daoist solidified it once more with his immense power.

And so, after taking one hundred steps, the Drunken Daoist finally came to a halt.

He slowly turned to face the onlookers.

Now, they could all see his condition.

The Power of Desolation clung to the Drunken Daoist, covering even every single strand of his hair.

The Drunken Daoist, who had stood perfectly straight, was now slightly stooped.

"I can't hold on much longer. I have to close this gate. We're at the hundred-step mark, and the Power of Desolation is so terrifying it chills me to the bone. But no matter."

The Drunken Daoist forced a smile. Though his face was grim, it also held a sense of relief and liberation.

"During the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, I had a fiery temper and was at odds with the world's Daoist Sects. I committed endless bloodshed. Though it was a feud between factions that never harmed the common folk or other innocents, the killing was immense nonetheless."

"Now, I am on the verge of death. I have shown all of you what needed to be seen."

"Today, I use my own Dao to clear a path for those who will come after. I do this not for fame, but for the flourishing of all Daoist Sects."

At these words, the Drunken Daoist pushed the Daoist Skill coursing through his body to its absolute limit once more.

Thunder rumbled in the heavens. His slightly stooped back slowly straightened.

A gentle breeze swept by, and his presence grew faint, almost ethereal.

"Even in death, I will die on my feet! What can a mere Desolate Forbidden Land do to me?"

As his voice faded, he pushed off from his feet, his aura flaring to its zenith as he shot off into the distance.

The terrifying Power of Desolation caused the gate the Drunken Daoist had been holding open to slam shut.

The Space blurred once more, and the scene in the sky vanished.

"It's over."

Shen Bai retracted his gaze and sighed.

He hadn't known the Drunken Daoist for long, but he knew the man was incredibly obstinate.

To call him evil would be wrong; he never directed his bloodshed at uninvolved parties and would certainly never harm the common people. In fact, if he saw anyone harming them, he would draw his sword in anger to strike down the powerful and protect the weak.

Yet, to call him good was also difficult, for he had the blood of countless members of the Daoist Sects on his hands.

Good and evil—it was impossible to define him.

'Of all the people I've ever met,' Shen Bai thought, 'the Drunken Daoist was perhaps the most principled.'

'He faced almost certain death by entering the Desolate Forbidden Land, yet he still opened the way for others, displaying the culmination of his life's work without reservation. For that alone, Shen Bai felt, few could ever compare.'