Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 549 The Culprit of the Drought Demon: Is the Power of the Eastern Divine Stele Really That Powerful?!

You quietly found Lü Qingyu and his group of six, but only managed to awaken Xiao Wan'er with the gentle energy of the Changchun Gong.

In the mountain forest, where the morning dew had not yet dried, the eyes of a barefoot girl suddenly opened, and ripples appeared, like the first ripples of spring water.

"Xiao Jing, I knew it was you."

You felt a little helpless as the barefoot girl pressed herself against you and wrapped her arms around you.

You held her shoulders, "Senior Sister Xiao, it's alright, it's alright."

Xiao Wan'er is known for her aloofness and unapproachability among the disciples of Xiaoqing Peak, but she is exceptionally well-behaved in front of you.

"We'll do whatever Xiao Jing says."

Xiao Wan'er didn't ask anything; you returned to the camp at Fangcun Mountain.

What happened next was simple. When Yang Chen and the others returned, they heard that the demonic cultivators had receded like the tide. The fellow disciples looked at each other, all in a daze of relief at having survived a calamity.

Yang Chen found you there, but you still seemed indifferent. He pondered to himself, "This Junior Brother Zhou has not left the camp a single step from beginning to end; that is a fact."

However, he always had a strange premonition, just like the last time the "White Snake was pregnant," as if it were intricately connected to you, but once he started to unravel the mystery, he didn't know where to begin.

Lin Shuang led the five people out of the thin mist, and you did not inform Lü Qingyu and the others that the five had left.

"Senior Brother Zhou!"

The five greeted each other, and all of them wore expressions of joy.

[Especially the Xue Ruyi sisters standing quietly behind you.]

Wei Zhi keenly noticed that when Lin Shuang greeted you just now, her tone carried a different meaning, especially her posture, which was much more humble.

You nodded slightly to the five of them.

The ordeal from last night to today will likely be an unforgettable experience for these disciples of Fencun Mountain; they were on the brink of life and death.

Instead of leaving immediately, Yang Chen set up camp and waited.

[Until the afternoon!]

The elders of Fangcun Mountain arrived late, and the disciples cheered with joy at the arrival of reinforcements. Their tense nerves finally relaxed, and they truly felt they had escaped from the brink of death.

Disappointment flickered in the eyes of Yang Chen, Qin Shi, Lü Qingyu, and the others. They knew better than anyone that the sect's late arrival indicated they had already been abandoned.

None of them were foolish or reckless; though their anger was churning, they did not show it on their faces.

Yang Chen led the group forward to pay their respects. More than ten figures descended from the clouds, the two at the head being elders at the Great Perfection of the Dragon Court Realm.

Not long after, the elders of Fangcun Mountain decided that an elder from the Dragon Court would escort you, the group of trial disciples, back to the mountain.

Another elder from the Dragon Court was sent to inspect the capital.

Yang Chen and the others had no objections and, leading over a hundred disciples, boarded the flying boat to return to the mountain.

[You stood among the disciples of Xiaoqing Peak, a faint gleam of jade-like brilliance shimmering in your eyes.]

Suddenly, your gaze fell upon the figure conversing at the head of the group of elders. "I never expected it to be him."

Standing beside you, Lin Shuang keenly detected a rare chill in your tone.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother?"

【"fine."】

Your gaze, however, pierced through the crowd, fixing firmly on an elder in a black robe and jade crown—one of the two Dragon Court elders present at the peak of their cultivation.

[Back then, Qinghe County suffered a severe drought, and drought demons ravaged the land, leaving corpses strewn across the fields. After you slew the drought demons, a cultivator at the Dragon Court realm appeared.]

At that time, you were still in the Dao Embryo stage, and for a while you could only hide under the temple with that holy maiden from West Kunlun.

[You remember that aura of magical power vividly. Although the drought demon is harmful, without this person's protection, tens of thousands of disaster victims in Qinghe County would not have died. This person is the real culprit.]

You've been searching for this person all these years, but you've never encountered them again. It's like a stone has sunk into the sea; you thought you'd never find them again.

Unexpectedly—

[You boarded the jade flying boat with the group of disciples, your gaze softening as you looked at that person, and you smiled gently.]

"Don't worry, I'll come find you once we're on the ship."

Lin Shuang felt a chill emanating from you, but when she looked again, you were still the gentle-looking Senior Brother Zhou.

You boarded the flying boat and knocked on Xiao Wan'er's door.

"Xiao Jing?" The barefoot girl's eyes suddenly lit up.

"May I borrow your room for a moment, senior sister? Also, could you please use a different way to address me, senior sister?"

Xiao Wan'er slowly closed the door. "What were you shouting for...?"

He parted his lips slightly, leaned on your shoulder, and said, "Brother Jing?"

[Your forehead is covered in black lines.]

You sat in your room, changing into a black robe with cloud patterns from your storage bag. "Senior Sister, I'm going out for a bit. Please help me conceal myself."

[Changing clothes wasn't intentional. It's just that you only have two sets of these Xiao Qingfeng-style robes in total. One was destroyed last time in the capital, and this is the only one left. If it's damaged again, you'll inevitably have to spend merit points at the Hall of Merit to replace it.]

And so, Xiao Wan'er watched your figure turn into smoke and vanish through the crack in the window.

Xiao Wan'er pushed open the window, her long, flowing hair billowing in the wind.

[The flying boat was already soaring above the sea of ​​clouds, surrounded by an endless expanse of blue sky and sea. Where was even a trace of you?]

The barefoot girl paused, slightly taken aback, her gaze slowly sweeping over the blue outer robe you had just removed.

~

Fangcun Mountain campsite.

An elder in a black robe and jade crown seemed to sense something, and a cold gaze pierced through him.

He slowly turned around and searched carefully among the crowd, but found nothing.

An elder beside him asked, "Junior Brother Huang Long, what's wrong?"

Huang Long laughed and said, "Just now, among the disciples, I saw someone who looked somewhat like my deceased wife, and I was momentarily stunned."

“Junior brother, why be so attached to the dead? It’s been a hundred years, you should let it go. Otherwise, with your talent, you would have already advanced to the Great Dao Golden Core stage. Moreover, that woman… secretly practiced evil arts, which ruined your promising future and caused you to be unable to return to the mountain all these years.”

“Junior Brother Huang Long, your promising future has been ruined. You might have already become the leader of a lineage.”

Huang Long said, "Senior brother, please stop talking. It's all my own fault, and I can't blame anyone else."

"Alright, now that you're back in the mountain, the sect will not pursue the matter further."

"I'll have to trouble you with the affairs of the Zhao capital this time. I hope you can do your best and live up to the sect's expectations."

Huang Long bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for the sect's leniency and for the kindness of the elders. I will do my utmost to repay the sect's kindness."

More than a dozen jade flying boats soared into the distance, leaving only five or six Heavenly Gate Realm cultivators suspended in mid-air.

With a wave of his sleeve, Huang Long dispersed the crowd, leaving him alone to look down at the ruins of the imperial city below.

His respectful expression gradually vanished, replaced by a cold laugh. "Fangcun Mountain will be destroyed sooner or later by you hypocrites. All you do is scheme and plot all day long, and no one dares to come to your territory. You're as cowardly as mice."

He used his magical artifact to slowly descend into the ruins of the imperial city, his boots crushing a pitch-black statue.

"These people from the Demonic Sect are indeed unreliable. If it weren't for me providing the remains of Patriarch Xiao Qingfeng and covering up the affairs of the Zhao Kingdom..."

"You have such good fortune, but you haven't kept any of the promises you made to me."

The imperial city was devoid of any living creatures or evil spirits, except for a few altars with a pitch-black statue of the "Xuanhuang Yingde Lunzhuan King".

"Very well." He raised his hand and ran it over the cracks on the surface of the statue. "Since you can't do it, then let these secrets remain."

"Bury him here forever!"

Huang Long looked sorrowful, a gloomy look between his brows, and his voice was low and hoarse: "It's a pity. After this battle, it's probably impossible for this strange kingdom to open again. Xi Yue, it's probably impossible for us to meet again in this lifetime."

"It's all the fault of that scoundrel from Qinghe County. Otherwise, Xiyue, you would have returned to the mortal realm as a drought demon." Huang Long's voice was chillingly cold: "Over the years, I've secretly investigated the entire Qinghe County, but I've never been able to find any trace of that scoundrel."

He roared with hatred, his eyes flashing with a terrifying glint of ferocity: "Otherwise, I will definitely skin that scoundrel alive, tear him apart, and scatter his bones to ashes! I will also keep his soul in a sky lantern, so that he will suffer torture every day, unable to live and unable to die, only then can I quell the hatred in my heart!"

suddenly!

A clear, cold voice drifted over, like a cold spring striking a stone, particularly jarring in the silence.

"A traitor? I was merely acting on behalf of Heaven."

The voice, tinged with mockery yet concealing a chilling murderous intent, slowly echoed around.

"Want to kill me? You're welcome to... try."

Huang Long's expression changed instantly, his eyes flashing with a mixture of shock and anger. He looked around in fear and shouted:

"Who?"

A boy appeared before them.

~

[You exited the flying boat, activated the Jade Emperor's Aura Observation Technique, and instantly discovered the trace of that person.]

[This is also a unique ability displayed after the Jade Emperor's Aura Observation Technique has advanced to a new level; it only needs to observe the weather patterns, and it can track anything within a thousand miles, leaving no place for the observer to hide.]

This saves you a lot of trouble.

[You remain hidden in the shadows, using the "Sword Devouring" technique from the Taiyuan Yiyang Sword to silently absorb your dissipating aura, concealing your surrounding presence.]

[With your current cultivation level, although you are at the same realm as Huang Long, your magical power is far superior to his, and the mystery of your supernatural abilities far surpasses his. Naturally, he would have difficulty detecting your presence.]

From the few words he uttered, you gradually realized—his shadow was also behind this calamity in the State of Zhao.

It was this person's secret plot that led to the devastation and loss of countless lives.

The drought was indeed a calamity, intended to resurrect someone important.

[For this, tens of thousands of disaster victims lost their lives, and countless people in Qinghe County were displaced, their families destroyed.]

[That's absolutely damnable!]

[You dispelled your concealment, revealing your true form, your icy voice echoing in the void: "Want to kill me? You're welcome to try."]

Huang Long's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared intently at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him, his magical power surging like a tidal wave: "Who are you?!"

The young man said calmly, "What? Didn't you just threaten to skin me alive?"

Huang Long scanned you from head to toe, his eyes filled with vigilance and scrutiny. The fact that you allowed him to get close without you noticing means your cultivation and supernatural abilities are definitely not ordinary; you might even be a Golden Core cultivator.

However, your age and attire puzzled him; you are far too young. Moreover, he had been paying close attention to you among the group of Fangcun Mountain disciples just now.

[I noticed you, not because of your extraordinary cultivation, but because of your exceptional appearance and refined demeanor.]

The magical artifact in Huang Long's hand was already gleaming with an eerie light. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits: "Heh, you've hidden it well enough. What exactly are you trying to achieve by impersonating a disciple of Fangcun Mountain?"

You ignored his questioning and simply smiled. "Back in Qinghe County, I personally slew that drought demon. Don't you want to kill me?"

Huang Long's face was grim. He gritted his teeth and said, "The matter of the drought demon has nothing to do with me. You should consider this an act of exorcism."

You lightly touched your sleeve, your tone leisurely: "What a pity, that drought demon seemed to be murmuring a name before she died... I wonder what she would think if she knew this in the afterlife?"

Huang Long's expression froze for a moment, the fierceness in his eyes subsided. "You and I have never crossed paths, we are complete strangers, and we have no grudges against each other. How about we let this matter drop?"

He watched you with such a casual posture, at such close range, without the slightest fluctuation of magical power, so confident and fearless, that he couldn't help but become even more cautious.

You smiled at him and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Huang is so straightforward, how about I borrow something from you?"

Huang Long glanced around. He had come to the imperial city alone, and there were no elders from his own faction nearby. He took a breath. "Your Excellency, please speak."

You said, enunciating each word clearly, "I need to borrow your head to appease the people of Qinghe County, and the innocent people of Zhao."

Huang Long's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his magical power surged like boiling water: "Arrogant! Although your cultivation is not bad, you have never condensed the Golden Core Dao. You dare to speak so arrogantly when you are competing with me at the same level?"

The magical artifact hidden in his sleeve hummed. "Since you insist on a life-or-death struggle, then don't blame me for a fight to the death."

You smiled and said, "I indeed do not possess the Great Dao Golden Core."

Upon hearing this, Huang Long breathed a sigh of relief; at least the other party's cultivation level wasn't a whole realm higher than his.

The boy's clear, cold voice was exceptionally distinct: "Total destruction?"

[Your eyes gleamed with a clear, jade-like light. As the "Jade Emperor's Aura Observation Technique" was activated, every detail of Huang Long's aura was clearly revealed—beneath the seemingly orthodox Fangcun Mountain martial arts lay hidden, mottled demonic energy and evil arts. His karmic burdens were heavy, his practice was impure, and his path was not pure.]

Suddenly, Huang Long launched an attack. With a flick of his sleeves, hundreds of cold lights shot out—a complete set of low-grade magic weapon-level flying swords.

A chilling sword formation instantly materialized, turning a ten-mile radius into a desolate wasteland.

Even more terrifying was his left hand forming a hand seal, condensing scorching true energy into a crimson-gold dragon head, its eyes wide open in fury, the blazing heat distorting the surrounding air.

Huang Long noticed that you were watching his entire formation process with great interest.

A sinister sneer curled at the corner of Huang Long's mouth. This young man hadn't even activated his protective magic; he was utterly arrogant!

The next moment, you gently raised your hand and waved it, and a small, three-inch-tall monument quietly appeared, resting in your palm.

Seeing this, a ruthless glint flashed in Huang Long's eyes. He opened several storage bags, and hundreds of flying swords poured out like a torrential rain, instantly trapping you and forming an impenetrable sword formation.

"You're so arrogant!"

"Even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage of the Great Dao would find it difficult to escape my Ten Thousand Swords Formation in a short time. You, a mere Dragon Court realm cultivator, are so arrogant; your attempt to break free of this formation is now as difficult as ascending to heaven."

In an instant, hundreds of swords flashed with cold light, spinning and roaring like a tornado, giving rise to four formations: "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain."

You looked at him and shook your head.

With a flick of his wrist, the small tablet in his hand caused the surrounding world to fall silent instantly.

[All that could be heard was a loud "boom"—]

Then came a sonic boom, as loud as tinnitus.

The greatest sound is silent; heaven and earth suddenly fall silent.

A towering, illusory stone tablet crashed down, causing the so-called sword formation to collapse, and hundreds of flying swords shattered.

Huang Long looked up in horror, as if a towering, illusory stone monument had crushed the clouds and crashed down upon him.

Huang Long reacted too late and instinctively caught it with his bare hands. The instant he touched it, he felt the primal, overwhelming power of the realm's suppression pouring forth from the stone tablet like a flood.

In an instant, his physical body, soul, and even the very trace of his existence would be completely erased.

In the final moments before his soul was about to dissipate, Huang Long heard the boy's last words.

"That's it?"

Huang Long couldn't understand why, despite both being in the Dragon Court Realm, the difference in their abilities was so vast. What shattered his Dao heart even more was the disappointment conveyed in the other party's nonchalant tone.

Overwhelmed by boundless humiliation and resentment, he didn't even have a chance to regret it.

The lingering soul, like a candle flame in the wind, was utterly annihilated, transforming into specks of light that dissipated between heaven and earth.

[As you raised your hand, the majestic "Eastern Divine Stele" instantly withdrew its divine light, transforming back into a small three-inch stele that gently fell into your palm.]

[Examine the small stele in your hand carefully. This "Eastern Divine Stele" is more powerful than you imagined. Just now, with a casual toss, without using any magic power, it suppressed a cultivator at the peak of the Dragon Court realm, annihilating him completely.]

[To be personally bestowed upon by the Emperor of Immortality, it is indeed extraordinary.]

With Huang Long's death, the matter of the drought demon in Qinghe County is now completely resolved.

[Beneath the ground lies a storage bag, a testament to its extraordinary nature; it cannot be crafted in this world, but only inherited from ancient times.]

[In that attack just now, not only were magical artifacts and treasures reduced to dust, but even Huang Long's Dragon Court Dao Body and primordial spirit were crushed to ashes. Yet this storage bag remained completely unharmed, so it's probably no ordinary storage bag.]

[You take it into your hands. With Huang Long dead, this item is ownerless; you open it easily.]

(End of this chapter)