Chapter 221 - 219: Fuyuan Temple

The Qi Mechanisms were still flowing, finally gathering and moving in the same direction.

Chen Qingyang first hid himself in the woods, then shot into the sky, heading toward the Conscious Fish's location.

He crossed mountains and plains. In the blink of an eye, he had traveled several hundred miles. The place where the auras converged turned out to be a Daoist temple.

It was hidden deep within the mountains, as if completely isolated from the world, never interacting with the outside.

The Conscious Fish hovered at the entrance. Two large rocks leaned against each other, forming a natural arch. Beneath it stood a majestic, black-lacquered gate, upon which were inscribed three golden characters: Fuyuan Temple.

Chen Qingyang's true body was a hundred miles away. He was in no hurry to enter and simply had his Conscious Fish circle the Daoist temple.

The Blood Evil Qi inside the temple was dense, and he could sense several other auras, indicating there were many people of Cultivation within. This trip was intended to gain experience and broaden his horizons. After a brief assessment, he concluded it was unlikely there would be a Foundation Establishment Master here, so the Conscious Fish slipped inside quietly.

The Daoist temple covered a vast area, almost like a small city. At its very center, Chen Qingyang once again saw the statue. It was now constructed on a magnificent scale, standing dozens of yards tall, looming like a small mountain. It glowed a brilliant gold, dazzling even in the dark of night.

He now realized that the statues scattered across this land were the very foundation of the Array, much like the Tai Xu Sect's Circulation Demon Suppression Star Array. They connected everything, weaving an intricate web.

The Conscious Fish continued to wander, spotting several Demon Sect Disciples in the Qi Refining Realm and even some who hadn't yet begun Qi Refining. He immediately made a judgment.

'This is either a Lower Institute of the Yu Xiao Demon Sect or an Immortal Mansion backed by them. Otherwise, there's no way it could survive in this territory.'

The next five or six Cultivators he saw had cultivations no higher than the First Realm of Essence Condensation. He relaxed completely. It was even more unlikely for a Foundation Establishment Master to be here.

He continued toward the back of the Daoist temple. He wanted to see how these Demon Sect Disciples usually went about their Cultivation, what Dharma Gates they practiced, and what their strengths and weaknesses were.

Broadening one's horizons was also part of gaining experience.

However, the rearmost part of the Daoist temple gave way to farmland. Crisscrossing paths stretched far into the distance, and the sounds of crowing roosters and barking dogs created the atmosphere of a rural village.

The fields were planted with ordinary crops, and the people farming them were also ordinary people. It was just like a village in the outside world, untouched by the slightest trace of Immortal Qi.

He truly couldn't understand what they hoped to achieve with all this effort. If they were planting Spirit Grass, he could have found a plausible reason for it.

This land was dotted with villages. At the edge of one, a group of women sat chatting. All their husbands had gone to work in the fields.

They were just making idle chatter, and Chen Qingyang had no desire to listen further. But what startled him was that all the women were pregnant.

Whether their bellies were large or small, each carried the aura of a tiny new life within them. Their faces glowed with the happiness of impending motherhood.

"...My Saint Heir will be born in just over ten days!"

"Yes, mine is coming soon too. We've been waiting for so long."

"My husband said that once a Saint Heir is born, our family will never suffer again for generations to come. We'll all be blessed with good fortune."

"Yes."

...

Every one of them called the baby in her womb a "Saint Heir."

A wave of nausea suddenly washed over Chen Qingyang. He recalled the Netherworld Peak's method for selecting Disciples. The process began while the children were still in their mothers' wombs. Many would have to die to obtain just one; "one in ten thousand" was the phrase they used themselves.

He realized now that both the farmers and the women at the village entrance were little more than livestock being raised in a pen. Like cattle, they could only await the judgment of fate.

In the eyes of a Cultivator, they and ordinary people were essentially two different species. No one would pity the chickens on a chicken farm.

"All things in heaven and earth, all living beings, are nothing but blood-food on the Immortal Path." Chen Qingyang remembered this saying from the Demon Sect Disciples vividly.

But there was one question he couldn't figure out. If a Cultivator discovered they came from such an origin, could they still remain composed about their identity and feel a sense of belonging to the Demon Sect?

'...They probably could.'

It was like how the Human Race never felt it was wrong when they were still eating raw flesh and drinking blood. It was only after many moral constraints were added that things changed.

To confirm his theory, Chen Qingyang ventured deeper. On the plains, he found another temple. This one, however, did not house that same statue, but one of a benevolent-looking Goddess.

A smile graced the corners of her lips as she looked down upon all living beings with compassionate eyes. Her figure was full, her face kind. She possessed a divine majesty yet also a mortal's warmth.

In her hand, she held a willow branch, sprinkling drops of water. Below the drops were carved countless infants, nourished by her. A dense and exceptionally pure Nether Qi swirled around, far beyond what the Blood Evil Qi could compare to.

Farther behind it was a deep pit. The bottom was covered in a layer of white ash, like that from incinerated human bones, and there were also scorch marks from flames...

Chen Qingyang was now all too familiar with the methods of Netherworld Peak. He could basically confirm that this was one of their locations for cultivating Disciples.

'Fuyuan... Temple of Fated Fortune. So it all comes down to who has the fortune to birth a Saint Heir. For those who can't, it's eternal Hell.'

Recalling the resolute expression of the mother he'd seen on the mountainside, he realized the people here had been indoctrinated very differently. They seemed to wholeheartedly believe in the Demon Sect's philosophy of "life and death are preordained; wealth and honor are decreed by heaven."

Chen Qingyang didn't leave right away. He waited in the shadows until nightfall, his Conscious Fish having surveyed nearly the entire Daoist temple.

'One at the Essence Condensation Third Realm, sixteen at the Second Realm, and seven at the First Realm. Then there are dozens more in the Qi Refining Realm. The temple is protected by an Array. If I do anything out of line, I'll definitely be discovered.'

'Once they're alerted, my exposure is certain, and it will delay the delivery of the letter—the consequences of that would be huge. But I'm not willing to just give up. If I do nothing, I feel this will become a Heart Demon for me in the future.'

'Alright, I'll make a small attempt. I'll just kill the Essence Condensation Third Realm cultivator, make him disappear without a trace, and leave the others untouched. That shouldn't cause too much of a stir.'

Chen Qingyang was as familiar with the entire layout as if he had lived there himself. He moved through the darkness, and no one detected his presence.

He held his breath and focused his mind, landing outside a house. The old man meditating inside was the Master of Fuyuan Temple, the only one with an Essence Condensation Third Realm Cultivation.

At that moment, a Daoist Child was attending to him. Chen Qingyang was in no hurry and waited patiently.

"Temple Master, another two hundred or so died today. At this rate, we urgently need replacements, or we'll delay the Peak Master's important task..."

"...The King of West State has been complaining. He keeps using the excuse that his kingdom's population is insufficient to try and blackmail us for more benefits. Otherwise, he'll slow our progress..."

"...Oh, and one more thing. It's news from Senior Brother Yuan in the Sect. Someone has their eye on your position, Master, and wants to..."

"...Also, several of the senior brothers in the temple have been fighting. It's all because of that He Yuzi stirring up trouble. She's been flaunting her beauty, having Dual Cultivation with one today, another tomorrow..."

He was called a Child, but he acted more like an assistant.

He reported everything that had happened today to the old man, one by one. There were matters concerning the Sect and matters concerning the Daoist temple—a great many things in total.

The old man kept his eyes slightly closed the entire time. Only after the report was finished did he speak. "Everything else can be put on hold, but we must press on with cultivating Disciples for the Peak Master. Tell the King of West State that if he keeps making excuses, our Holy Sect would rather replace his Royal Family!"

The Western Continent Kingdom was the Human Empire Chen Qingyang had seen ruling this region. Unlike the Tai Xu Sect, which rarely interfered in mortal affairs, the Yu Xiao Demon Sect exercised direct control over it.

They were the Royal Family of a nation, yet a single Essence Condensation Third Realm Disciple could speak of replacing them as if it were nothing.

The Child replied, "Understood. But mere words won't be enough for him to understand our power. Why don't we send someone to kill a hundred or two of his people first, then go talk to him."

The old man didn't even hesitate. "Fine. Do as you suggest."

With the matter settled, the Child departed. Soon, the old man was the only one left in the small courtyard. He closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

As he was cultivating, he suddenly felt a sharp pain inside his body. A ball of Fire had appeared from nowhere and was burning inside his mind, destroying his Meridians wherever it passed.

He tried to resist it with his power, but it seemed utterly futile. "ARGH..."

Just as he was about to cry out, a streak of Sword Qi flew in through the window and slit his throat.

To kill him, Chen Qingyang only needed those two moves.

He gently pushed open the door and walked in. He then picked up the corpse, specifically checking to make sure no blood had been left on the floor. Using Wind Control, he was a hundred miles away in an instant.

He casually tossed the body into a valley. A tiny flame flickered, and it was reduced to ashes.

As long as the man was considered missing, the Demon Sect wouldn't be able to determine for some time whether he was dead or alive, much less how he died. This was crucial to prevent them from suspecting an outsider had infiltrated their territory.

He checked again and saw he had stolen 3,238 Immortal Seedlings. It wasn't a huge amount, but it wasn't small either—about average for a cultivator of his level.

He didn't linger. After adjusting his direction, he headed for Heyang City.

「Soon, by high noon, he had arrived outside the city.」

In the Demon Sect's territory, the style of the cities was different from those of the Tai Xu Sect, possessing a more rugged and cold-hearted feel. The gate towers didn't strive for elegance or grandeur, only for height and strength.

The difference between the common people was extreme. The raggedly dressed begged along the streets, looking perpetually starved. They bowed and scraped before everyone, giving off a sense that being born human was a mistake.

In contrast, the richly dressed were the epitome of extravagance, adorned with gold and silver and fine jade. Their skin was fair, and they all looked handsome and imposing. Though they lived in the same city, they seemed like two different species of people.

Inside the city, the streets were wide and everything was built in an orderly fashion, but the feeling of coldness did not diminish.

The flagstones were slate-gray, the walls dark brown. The rare splash of vibrant color came from fluttering red cloth, the color of blood.

The way people walked the streets was also distinctive. The richly dressed strode confidently down the middle, while the ragged scurried timidly in the corners and along the edges. The division was stark.

The Conscious Fish circled around again and discovered the city was divided into north and south. The southern part, aside from this one main street, was nothing but rubble, ruins, and tattered tents. A foul stench hung in the air, and people and livestock lived together without distinction.

Children with empty stomachs or swollen with ascites squatted in corners, waiting for passersby to offer them a mouthful of food. Crows circled overhead. It looked just like a city of the dead.

But once in the northern part of the city, everything was the height of luxury. Both tall buildings and houses were magnificently decorated with gold, and the people walking about were all clad in expensive clothes.

The people of the south didn't dare go to the north, not even to beg. The people of the north would never go to the south, feeling nothing but disgust for it.

It was here, on the border between north and south, that Chen Qingyang spotted the Qingfeng Inn, built facing north but on the southern side of the divide.