Chapter 256: Inhumane

Chapter 256 -251: Inhumane

The azure sky stretched for thousands of miles, without a single cloud in sight.

Chen Qingyang soared through the air using Wind Control, streaking across the sky like a swimmer in a vast, blue ocean. He left a long white trail in his wake, like the fiery tail of a shooting star.

But when he looked down, a scene of utter devastation filled his eyes. The topsoil was overturned, exposing the yellow earth everywhere. Tree branches were snapped, and even their roots were torn from the ground.

Blood and bodies were embedded in the mud, and the land was riddled with deadly fissures and deep pits.

The land was terrifyingly silent. Not even the wind dared to visit, and not a single living creature could be found.

It was like this for hundreds of miles.

Relying on his memory, he found the former location of the Imperial Palace, and from within the ruins, he pinpointed where Ci Yun Temple had been.

The Daoists, both old and young, had all died horrific deaths. Their faces were twisted in agony, their eyes wide with terror. Their bodies were half-embedded in the earth, some still in a seated, meditative posture.

They had never even known how they died.

Indeed, one might say their life was their own, but their death was utterly beyond their control.

Lingxuzi, Ding Xiulong… and Lu Yuan, the man with a bit of a commoner’s cunning who had served him for a few days—all these familiar faces were now just flesh and blood, deeply embedded in the earth.

The mountain peak was now just a small, raised mound. Amidst the rubble behind it, Chen Qingyang used his Conscious Fish to determine the location of the Immortal Grass.

He cleared away the rubble, removed a millstone, and found the brocade box lying quietly beneath. He opened it to find the Immortal Grass perfectly preserved inside.

‘This must be the only thing with any spiritual nature left in this thousand-mile wasteland.’

He’d already been delayed this long; there was no need to rush back. He decided to first make a trip to Nine True Temple and tell Senior Brother Lu what had happened.

‘He probably never imagined things would turn out like this when he sent me here,’ he thought. ‘He deserves to know whether I’m dead or alive.’

Just as Chen Qingyang was about to leave the ruins, he saw a bird fly over to forage. It landed where a patch of seeds, once buried, had been churned up to the surface.

‘So, visitors have already arrived. Perhaps in sixty years, there will be more.’

He left the ruins at dusk. By dusk the next day, he had arrived outside Nine True Mountain.

The sky was high and the clouds were thin; the winter sun was still warm. Though the mountain was covered in withered yellow, patches of green leaves held strong.

The one guiding Chen Qingyang now was the young Daoist he had given an elixir to, helping him achieve a breakthrough. The young Daoist was very enthusiastic, but Chen Qingyang could only respond with cold indifference.

Compared to Ci Yun Temple, nothing here had changed. It was still peaceful and quiet.

He landed at the gate of a small courtyard on the mountain and pushed the door open. Senior Brother Lu was inside and looked over at him.

He didn’t speak at first, but then he laughed heartily. “Good. It’s good that you’re back.”

Chen Qingyang knew that since Senior Brother Lu was once a Golden Core True Monarch who had undergone Possession, his cultivation might be gone, but his Divine Soul was still powerful. He must have already guessed some of what had happened in the Yong Kingdom.

The sun set in the west.

Inside the small house, charcoal burned to boil tea, and the scent of incense lingered in the air. Outside, a wind had picked up, making the tree branches whistle and moan.

After the water came to a boil, Lu Qingyu stoked the charcoal fire and poured Chen Qingyang a full cup.

Over one cup after another, Chen Qingyang gave him a rough account of what had transpired.

Lu Qingyu’s expression was strange, as if he were worried about something. “Junior Brother, it’s good that you made it back. I was worried that my own selfish decision had gotten you killed…” His tone was filled with lingering fear.

Chen Qingyang replied, “Senior Brother, you don’t need to worry about it. No one could have predicted the situation would become so dire. Otherwise, the Tai Xu Sect wouldn’t have five Masters whose fates are now unknown.”

“Sigh…” He let out another long sigh. “You’re right.”

Seeing him so worried, Chen Qingyang asked, “Senior Brother, what are you still concerned about?”

“I’ve told you before that Venerable Meng is the Netherworld Peak Master. When I was just a Qi Refining Disciple, she was already a Golden Core True Monarch. Her cultivation is profound, and she has experienced so many cycles of reincarnation. I’m afraid she is about to cross the final threshold of the Golden Core realm.”

If Venerable Meng transcends the Golden Core realm, she will achieve the rank of Daoist Monarch.

The Tai Xu Sect already has one less Golden Core True Monarch than the Demon Sect. If she manages to break through, things will be very difficult for us at the Eternal Life Assembly a hundred years from now.

As far as Chen Qingyang knew, this would likely make the Demon Sect the sole hegemon of the Cyan Nether State. At that point, while the Tai Xu Sect might not be completely wiped out, all its members would be reduced to slaves of the Demon Sect.

“All dignity lost, a fate worse than death.” Those few words were enough to describe the situation they would face.

“So that’s what you’re worried about, Senior Brother. If it really comes to that, we’ll be in serious trouble. But I find it strange. If even you know about this, the Golden Core True Monarchs of our Daoist Sect must know as well. Why haven’t they acted to put a stop to this beforehand?”

“Besides, you said that Venerable Meng has lived so long entirely because of her Star Shifting Divine Power. If they were to cut that off, wouldn’t she be trapped in a dead end?”

Chen Qingyang had always been good at extrapolating, able to spin a single point of doubt into many more questions.

At this, Senior Brother Lu just chuckled. “The Eternal Immortal Dynasty has a clear decree: no Golden Core True Monarch from any sect in the Nine Heavens, Ten Lands, and One Hundred and Eight States is permitted to take action lightly. Violators will have their cultivation crippled and their sect demoted.”

“Of course, that’s not the most important reason. After all, this time the enemy has brought their schemes right to our doorstep, so taking action would be perfectly justified. The truth is, Venerable Meng probably calculated that the eleven Golden Core True Monarchs of the Tai Xu Sect are all useless cowards. To preserve their own precious lives, they would certainly let this perfect opportunity slip by!”