A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 118 Purifying the Earth's Veins

After leaving Juhe Mountain, Gu Xu headed straight east. The bamboo slips recorded that there was a White Bone Pit in Duanhun Valley of Tianhua Prefecture, which was a battlefield of several kingdoms long ago, where countless people were buried.

"The spirits within that pit of bones must be dealt with as soon as possible. If they were to erupt during a future cataclysmic event, the consequences would be severe."

When Gu Xu was reading the regional chapters, he paid special attention to several important locations, and Soul Broken Valley was one of them. The aura of war and disaster here is extremely sharp, and once it is unleashed, almost no one can withstand it.

Gu Xu traversed nearly half of Tianhua Prefecture and finally arrived at a valley with jagged rocks and sparse vegetation seven days later. A thick layer of dark clouds covered the valley, blocking out the sunlight, and it was very dark inside.

"This place is perpetually shrouded in darkness, its energy flow is sluggish, and when concentrated in one place, coupled with the aura of war, it is clearly a dead end."

Looking at the black and red aura swirling around them, a chilling and murderous power emanated from the valley, and the black soil on the ground was covered with a layer of frost. No wonder there was no life in the valley.

Gu Xu's face showed a solemn expression. This place was more serious than he had imagined, and it seemed that the aura of war within the valley had been unusually active recently, as if it had been stimulated by something.

Just as Gu Xu was about to step into the valley, his mind stirred and he instantly dodged to the side. Four Taoist priests in black robes walked in. The leader of the four priests was holding a bronze lamp, and the green light emitted by it enveloped all four of them.

"Senior Brother He, why did the Master send us to this Soul-Severing Valley? This place is incredibly ominous. The elite team our sect sent out back then all perished there. Do you think we can make it?"

"We're just working on the periphery. As long as we don't go too deep inside, there shouldn't be any major problems. Besides, with the treasures bestowed upon us by the sect, we should be able to protect ourselves without any issues. Don't worry, Junior Brother."

Senior Brother He held the bronze lamp, and as its light flickered, wisps of green light peeked out, temporarily isolating the black and red aura. Seeing this, Senior Brother He instructed those around him, "Junior Brothers, protect yourselves and don't let that aura of war touch you."

Upon hearing this, the three immediately each took a talisman, and under the protection of the bronze lamp, the four of them successfully entered the Valley of Broken Souls.

Gu Xu hid to the side and observed their attire, confirming that they were disciples of the Supreme Path. With a thought, he immediately gave chase.

After walking for about half an hour, Senior Brother He saw that the candle oil in the bronze lamp was almost half gone, and knew he could not go any further. He immediately stopped and instructed a junior brother surnamed Zhou beside him, "Junior Brother Zhou, take out the summoning talisman. Junior Brother Guo and Junior Brother Zheng, you two protect it carefully."

"Yes," Junior Brother Zhou flipped his wrist, and a crimson talisman floated in the air. Stimulated by his true energy, it immediately emitted a faint blood-red light, which echoed the green light of the bronze lamp, making it look very strange.

"The Summoning Talisman," Gu Xu, who was hiding his figure, watched their actions and knew their purpose. They wanted to summon the souls of soldiers and then turn them into Dao soldiers.

"It seems that the Dao soldiers accumulated by the Supreme Dao have been almost completely destroyed, but you can't take these things."

The Supreme Daoist's method of forging Daoist soldiers is extremely cruel. In addition to the souls of the dead soldiers, each Daoist soldier must be forged by a living person to ignite their soul, and the imprisoned souls of the soldiers will never be able to be reborn.

Seeing the red light blazing from the summoning talisman below, Gu Xu glanced towards the depths of Broken Soul Valley and saw several soldier spirits drawn towards him, flying swiftly toward him.

"Senior brother, I feel a soldier spirit coming!" Junior brother Zhou said with delight.

"Very good," Senior Brother He lifted the bronze lamp upwards, and the bronze lamp stood firmly. Then he took out a few small jade terracotta warriors, pricked his finger, and put the blood droplets on the jade terracotta warriors. The terracotta warriors immediately turned red.

Senior Brother Zhou's face was somewhat pale. He tossed several terracotta warriors into the air, and when illuminated by the lamplight, they immediately emitted a dark light and swayed incessantly.

Just as Senior Brother He was ready, Junior Brother Zhou said in a deep voice, "Here it comes."

The four warrior spirits were awe-inspiring, and their tattered armor could not stop their soaring aura. The bronze lamp hummed loudly, and the oil inside was consumed at a visible rate.

"Junior Brother Zhou, quickly draw them in!" Senior Brother He called out softly. Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Zhou immediately pointed his fingers at the summoning talisman. The talisman suddenly lit up, enveloping the four soldier spirits that were immersed in it. Seeing this, Senior Brother He quickly made a series of hand seals, silently binding the four soldier spirits with strands of blood.

"Soul-Binding Seal"

Gu Xu recognized the technique he was using. It was a powerful spell specifically designed to deal with souls. As long as the soul's spiritual power did not exceed the user's by too much, it had almost no chance to fight back. Moreover, the soldier's soul was now intoxicated by the power of the talisman and was practically a blank sheet of paper.

Before the soldier spirits could react, Senior Brother He had already gathered them all into the terracotta warriors and cast several magic seals on them before exhaling a breath of turbid air.

"Go quickly"

Senior Brother He retrieved the bronze lamp, which contained only a thin layer of lamp oil.

The soldier's spirit is limited; if the general's spirit discovers it, then we're in big trouble.

Just as the four were about to leave, a streak of red light rushed over and crashed into the lampshade of the blue lamp. The lampshade twisted and shattered like a bubble. Caught off guard, Senior Brother He was thrown back by the force and was immediately seriously injured and fell to the ground. The bronze lamp in his hand also fell to the ground.

"Who goes there?" The sudden turn of events put the remaining three on high alert. They drew their swords, guarded their three sides, and cautiously looked around.

Gu Xu revealed himself and walked towards the four people, while a transparent light barrier isolated the area.

"Void Transmission"

The fallen Senior Brother He looked terrified. Such a method of appearing out of thin air was clearly the work of someone like the Dao Lord. Just who was this person?

"You are not allowed to take the Soul-Slaying Valley's spirit with you. Hand it over, and you may leave."

“We are people of the Supreme Dao. Who exactly are you?” Junior Brother Zhou knew that the newcomer was unfathomable and hoped to intimidate him by mentioning the name of his sect, but Gu Xu just smiled faintly.

"Even if your Supreme Dao Lord were to personally arrive, this humble Daoist would have no fear. As for leaving behind the soldier's soul, this humble Daoist does not wish to repeat himself a third time."

The unquestionable words turned the faces of Senior Brother He and his companions ashen. The newcomer didn't even put the Supreme Dao Lord in his eyes, let alone these few rabble. Senior Brother He then stood up, bowed deeply, and handed over the terracotta warrior.

"Senior, the spirits of the soldiers are all here; please accept them safely."

Seeing this, Gu Xu nodded, pointed, and the four terracotta warriors were drawn towards him.

"You may leave now. Also, tell your Dao Lord that you are not allowed to come to Soul-Severing Valley again, or I will certainly not forgive you."

"I understand. If you have no further instructions, I will take my leave."

Seeing that Gu Xu remained silent, the three of them carried Senior Brother He away quickly. The moment they stepped out of the light barrier, Senior Brother He crushed a piece of jade, and a red light enveloped the four of them before walking out of the valley.

Seeing the four leave, Gu Xu strode into the depths of the valley. The further he went, the heavier the aura of yin evil and war became, and the wailing and fighting sounds constantly echoed in his ears.

After walking for nearly half an hour, Gu Xu arrived at the edge of a deep pit covering dozens of miles. He saw that the pit was filled with black and red energy, and countless corpses were scattered in it. An astonishingly cold and murderous power was constantly spreading in all directions.

“Nourished by the earth’s energy, the aura of war is growing stronger.” Gu Xu looked up at the soldier spirits in the deep pit. Apart from a few that were intelligent, the rest were just dull-witted and dazed, tirelessly swinging their weapons based solely on their instinct to kill.

"That one must be the only surviving general's soul; its aura is indeed extraordinary."

At the very front of all the soldier spirits stood a burly man, nine feet tall, with a resolute face. His armor gleamed with a dark light, and he held a long spear and wore a sword at his waist. He seemed to have sensed Gu Xu's prying eyes and looked over in that direction.

"Greetings, General." Gu Xu saw that the general's soul had retained its consciousness and could not be regarded as an ordinary soul, so he bowed.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Hun's expression turned solemn. He clasped his hands in a salute, then waved his hand, causing the soldier spirits beside him to retreat and clear a path. He then gestured to Gu Xu, who nodded and stepped forward.

As soon as Gu Xu stepped into the deep pit, he felt a heavy pressure on his body. He silently circulated his true energy, and his body immediately returned to normal.

"Greetings, Daoist Master. I am Song Yue. May I ask where you are from and what brings you here?"

Song Yue invited Gu Xu to sit down and looked at him in a deep voice, saying that he knew from just one glance that this Taoist's cultivation was unfathomable and that such a person must have a purpose in coming here.

"I have come here to help the general transcend this impasse," Gu Xu said directly, without beating around the bush. Song Yue was not annoyed by this.

"Master, could you please tell me the reason?" Even if he is being exorcised, he should understand why. "General, you've been here for quite some time now, haven't you?" Gu Xu didn't answer directly, but instead changed the subject.

“It has been three hundred years,” Song Yue said, closing his eyes slightly as if he were recalling something.

"Three hundred years have passed, the world has changed, and time has turned. General, have you felt the changes here recently?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yue was slightly taken aback. Then, as if realizing something, his expression suddenly changed, and he said, "The earth's energy has indeed been somewhat abnormal lately. It seems much stronger than it was a few years ago, and there have been many more newly born soldier spirits recently. Could this be the reason why you've come, Daoist?"

"Indeed, this is a sign that a great calamity is yet to come. This is not only the case in Broken Soul Valley, but also in several other battlegrounds, but it is most evident in Broken Soul Valley."

"A great calamity?" Song Yue asked in confusion.

"The rise of demons and the decline of the Tao, the descent of the pure and the rise of the turbid, are signs of a great calamity. It is remarkable that the general can still maintain his sanity. However, being deep in the Yin Sha land, he will be entangled by the power of calamity in the future. He may become a general's soul that only knows how to kill, or he may become a puppet in someone else's hands," Gu Xu said slowly, staring at Song Yue.

Gu Xu believed that when a great calamity was approaching, all potential problems should be eliminated to avoid being threatened from both sides when dealing with enemies in the future.

Although he doesn't value this soul now, it will surely become a powerful overlord in five hundred years. With the tribulation force invading his heart, it's hard to say whether he can maintain his original mind. It's better to eliminate it now.

"Does the Daoist master know that the purpose of the soldier's spirit is to continuously dilute and purify the aura of war? Once the soldier's spirit is released from suffering, the aura of war will become uncontrollable, and it may cause a great disaster in just a few years. The Daoist master should think this through carefully."

"I understand what you have said, General. Since I have spoken, I am naturally quite confident. It will only take a few years. You have guarded this place for hundreds of years, and your merits are great. I, on behalf of the people, thank you."

If it weren't for Song Yue leading the soldier spirits and keeping them bound here, these confused soldier spirits might have scattered and caused considerable losses. This achievement is truly remarkable.

“Well, since you have a way to deal with the hidden dangers here, I, Song, will not stop you. I have stayed here for hundreds of years, and it is time to leave. Daoist, let’s begin.”

Song Yue stood up, walked to the front of the soldiers, and looked intently at Gu Xu.

"General, you are very righteous. I thank you." It would be best to persuade him with words, but if that fails, I will have to resort to force. It seems that I am quite lucky. This General Song is easy to talk to.

In just half an hour, Gu Xu saw that all the soldier spirits had been summoned by Song Yue. Song Yue nodded to Gu Xu, who understood and reached out to take a clear, bright mirror that flew into the air, scattering a clear, watery light.

As the sword spirits were illuminated by the clear light, the aura of war affliction on their bodies was continuously stripped away, turning into a piece of black iron that fell to the ground. As Gu Xu's true power was activated, the light of the treasure mirror became brighter and brighter. Several hours later, all the sword spirits were purified, and their souls were absorbed into the treasure mirror.

"Master Daoist, we'll meet again someday."

As the clear light shone down, Song Yue clasped his hands in a salute. His soul, illuminated by the clear light, became unpredictable. Just after his soul was absorbed into the treasure mirror, a piece of black iron with golden light spots floated in mid-air.

"Although the spirit of the soldiers has been subdued, the most troublesome thing is still this lingering aura of war; it will take some effort."

Ultimately, these calamities are connected to the earth's veins, so a change in one can affect the whole. The best way is to set up a purification array to slowly regulate the earth's energy, so as not to damage the earth's veins.

At the same time, it is necessary to draw in external pure spiritual energy to replenish the earth's veins. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight. According to Gu Xu's calculations, it will take at least a hundred years to completely eliminate the disaster energy and restore the earth's veins.

However, Gu Xu still has several other battlefields to deal with, and he can't keep an eye on them all the time. Moreover, he doesn't know what Wushangdao is thinking, so it would be best to set up a defensive formation on the outer perimeter.

Over the next few days, Gu Xu surveyed the direction of the earth's veins and calculated the location, burying rune crystals one by one. After more than half a month, Gu Xu finally completed the preliminary preparations.

Noon is the time when the yang energy is at its peak, but dark clouds cover the top of Broken Soul Valley, preventing sunlight from shining in. Valley Void activated all the array points within dozens of miles, and golden threads intertwined to form a magic net covered with runes, enveloping the entire deep pit.

Just as the net of law covered the deep pit, the black and red energies inside continued to surge and collide with the net of law. Instantly, the three colors of light, gold, red and black, kept flowing. However, as time went by, the golden light kept receding. Seeing this, Gu Xu stretched out his hand and pointed, and shouted softly. A golden talisman was formed into a Taiji jade, which floated above the net of law.

As soon as the Taiji Jade arrived, the power of the Dharma Net increased dramatically. The clash between the black and red energies did not diminish, but as the Taiji Jade continued to rotate and emit brilliant golden light, the black and red energies were gradually worn down and disappeared without a trace when they encountered the Dharma Net.

Gu Xu nodded in satisfaction, then pointed with his fingers, and a beam of red light shot straight into the sky, piercing through the dark clouds. The dark clouds then quickly dissipated, revealing a clear sky with the sun high in the sky, its rays shining down and illuminating the deep pit.

The aura of war and disaster in the deep pit burst forth when exposed to sunlight, and was subsequently purified by the Dharma Net and the Taiji Jade.

"With the sun's rays relentlessly attacking during the day and the moonlight's replenishment at night, the earth's veins have a chance to recover."

Supreme Dao Residence

After Senior Brother He and the others reported the matter, Chief Inspector Ning Dao came to the back hall.

Qi Feng, who had already emerged from seclusion, saw him arrive and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Master, He Fang and the others encountered a mysterious Taoist in the Valley of Broken Souls. Their weapon spirits were also stolen, and the Taoist said that no disciple of the Supreme Dao is allowed to set foot in the Valley of Broken Souls."

After a pause, Ning Dao continued, "Moreover, that Taoist priest seemed quite indifferent to the Supreme Dao. His skill is unfathomable; I wonder if he is the person the Daoist is looking for."

"Is there a portrait?" Qi Feng was already somewhat certain.

“Yes, according to He Fang and the others’ description, Junior Brother Lin painted this portrait,” Ning Dao said, presenting a scroll of canvas.

Qi Feng remained still, using his mind to support the canvas, which slowly unfolded, revealing a handsome and elegant Taoist priest.

"This is the person."

Qi Feng felt a sense of certainty; he had a feeling that this person was the mysterious master he was looking for.

"Master, how should this disciple handle this matter? The lack of soldier spirits means there's a shortage of Dao soldiers."

"This person possesses profound magical power; you are no match for him. Since we cannot go to the Valley of Broken Souls, let's go somewhere else. Hmm, let's go to the ancient tombs of the previous dynasty; the spirit soldiers inside are not bad either."

"Yes, disciple obeys. Also, there's unusual activity from the demon race. A group of demonic beasts is converging on Pingshan Prefecture, seemingly plotting something. And on the demonic cultivators' side, they've already completed several blood sacrifices, and several border cities in the northeast have fallen into demonic territory."

"How's the situation on the imperial side?"

Qi Feng's heart sank. It seemed that the demon and monster factions had conspired to cause trouble on both sides, and the imperial court could not possibly ignore it.

"The imperial court has sent someone, saying they have dispatched the National Advisory Committee and hope that the Supreme Dao can also send personnel. I have already agreed."

Ning Dao's actions were for the sake of the imperial court and for the Supreme Dao itself. The demon race's movements were relatively small, so they could wait. However, the demon cultivators' momentum was enormous, showing no regard for the Supreme Dao. If they could not be suppressed, the Supreme Dao's fortune would inevitably be damaged.

Now is the crucial moment; we cannot let the demonic cultivators ruin things.

"Hmm, you've done well. The imperial court's fortune has been almost completely drained, and we're just waiting for the final step. Ning Dao, the court's demise is imminent. Prepare to move your open forces underground. The next few hundred years will be a golden opportunity for the Supreme Path to grow and expand."

"Disciple understands"

After saying a few more words, Qi Feng waved his hand, and Ning Dao bowed and left the inner hall.

Qi Feng looked through the palace and up at the sky. He saw that the crimson light shone from the giant skeleton, illuminating half of the sky. The dragon of fortune was on its last legs under the pressure of the rune chains. It had few scales left on its body and its two horns were broken and damaged.

Several days later, the True Dragon of Fortune let out a mournful cry and scattered into countless points of light. The giant skeleton opened its mouth and inhaled, sucking them all in. As the rune chains retracted, the giant skeleton shrank continuously, finally transforming into a streak of red light and flying down below.

"Sir, the king has died!"

(End of this chapter)