I was chased at the beginning, and I got the first quick sword

Chapter 568 Empty Cities, Gravesites

The situation in the southwestern region has now stabilized.

Although if the leader of the Heavenly Evil Cult were to recklessly come and wreak havoc, no one except Chu Qing would be able to withstand him.

However, this approach is meaningless.

The Heavenly Evil Cult has never wanted a single city or territory; they want the entire world.

Chu Qing made his judgment based on the movements of the Heavenly Evil Cult Leader during this period and his reaction in the battle at Yue Songshan.

It's likely that as long as this person doesn't find a way to break his own Maha Boundless, he will never make a comeback.

In other words... once he appears, he must be confident that he can kill me!
Unfortunately, Chu Qing was not afraid of this at all.

With the blessing of consistent strength and the addition of the Three-Finger Heaven-Piercing Finger of the Divine Shock, it can be said that even if the Heavenly Evil Cult Master appeared in front of him now, he would not be as disheveled as last time.

Add to that a powerful weapon like Maha Boundless...

I imagine that if this person really came full of confidence, he would surely make him leave crying for his parents.

Under these circumstances, Chu Qing didn't find it difficult to take some time to leave the Western Regions and go to the Eastern Regions to take care of some business.

The reason he agreed to bring Wu Qianhuan was to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

This is like adding an extra layer of insurance.

However, once this door was opened, Wenrou naturally couldn't sit still any longer.

Recently, this girl and the shepherd boy have been getting very close, and the two of them have been figuring out how to sneak into Chu Qing's room every day.

We have already accumulated a considerable amount of experience.

Knowing that Chu Qing was going to the Eastern Region, the two of them decided to go with him without hesitation.

Whether it's one sheep or two sheep, Chu Qing didn't care about these trivial details.

This time, Chu Qing deliberately created a diversion by using a disguise made of painted skin to stay here temporarily... It wouldn't serve any real purpose; it was just to scare the Heavenly Evil Cult Leader.

It's hard to say how useful it will be, but if the Heavenly Evil Cult Leader is really as Chu Qing thinks, and has been scared out of his wits by him...

That would probably be quite useful.

In addition, Shang Qiuyu will remain in the Western Regions for the time being to assist Liu Zhaonian and others in handling affairs in the Southwest Regions.

Of course, he didn't need to put in any effort; he simply played the role of a high-level henchman.

He was happy to have some free time, spending his days basking in the sun and drinking tea, living a rather comfortable life.

Finally, on a uneventful night, Chu Qing and his group quietly left Shanhai City.

They took a detour through the northern regions and headed straight for the eastern regions.

They kept a low profile throughout their journey, trying their best not to cause trouble.

However, when they arrived in the Northern Region, there was still a minor incident.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors knew that Chu Qing had killed Bai Yitian... but not many people in the Great Wind Pavilion knew about it.

Therefore, the old members of Dafenglou are still working hard for the slogan "Avenging the old master will allow them to inherit the master's position." Dafenglou is indeed a very powerful force in the Northern Region. When Chu Qing and his group passed through this area, they encountered many people searching for Chu Qing.

However, things happened too fast that day.

Chu Qing called the person out, swept two fingers across the person, and before the other person could even react to what was happening, their head had already been severed.

Then Chu Qing turned and left... Many people didn't even see what Chu Qing looked like before it was all over.

This also resulted in the 'wanted notice' drawn by Dafenglou being completely different from Chu Qing's.

Although they posted notices everywhere, their disciples seemed extremely busy running around.

But even Chu Qing herself was completely bewildered when she first saw the notice; she simply couldn't figure out who the person on the notice was...

Later, after a busybody proudly told Chu Qing the 'secret' of the murder of Bai Yitian, the master of Dafeng Tower, Chu Qing suddenly realized that the person in the portrait was actually himself.
Wu Qianhuan and the other two laughed so hard they could hardly breathe, almost becoming one of the few masters in the martial arts world who died laughing.

Chu Qing sighed, feeling that these powerful forces were really acting too recklessly.

Using such notices to track down the murderer is just wishful thinking.

If they were actually caught... it would be a human tragedy.

Of course, to keep a low profile, Chu Qing didn't do anything about the portrait. However, he might help them correct the problems with the portrait after the Underworld Assembly ended.

Thinking of this, Chu Qing couldn't help but glance at the shepherd boy again:
"Is it really okay to handle that matter this way?"

Wan Chunhua was constantly on edge, being hunted down by the Dafenglou gang.

As a result, when the shepherd boy's personal maid went to help him, he mistook her for a pursuer and killed her.

The maid was wronged, and the shepherd boy was furious.

Wan Chunhua stated that if Chu Qing killed Bai Yitian of Dafenglou, he would atone for it with his life.

In fact, Wan Chunhua did it.

Just as he was about to commit suicide, he was stopped by the shepherd boy.

She said that the girl was kind-hearted by nature and would definitely not have the heart to let Wan Chunhua commit suicide to pay for her life.

But this matter cannot be left unresolved, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get over it herself.

We can't let all the previous promises fall flat.

Therefore, the shepherd boy told Wan Chunhua to leave and go out into the world to do a hundred chivalrous deeds.

If he dies during this process, then consider it as paying for his life.

Conversely, if he is still alive after completing a hundred tasks... then it can be considered that the girl's spirit in heaven has forgiven him.

This debt is now wiped clean.

However, it is up to Wan Chunhua himself to discern the relative importance of each action and to determine which acts are worthy of praise and are considered acts of chivalry.

Wan Chunhua remained silent for a long time before finally turning and leaving without saying a word.

When Chu Qing asked, the shepherd boy replied:
"Wan Chunhua is a man of his word, and he always keeps his promises."

“If someone else were to do these hundred things, they might just get by... but he wouldn’t.”

"So, rather than letting him die in vain, it's better to keep his life and let him save more people. This would be a way to accumulate good karma for that girl and also to atone for his own sins."

"Compared to taking his life, I think this choice would be better."

Chu Qing nodded and didn't say anything more.

This is ultimately the shepherd boy's own business.

As the maid's mistress, she had the right to make all the decisions.

The little incident on the road came to an end, and before leaving the Northern Region, some other minor things also happened.

Sometimes he was a bandit, sometimes a thug, and occasionally he would encounter some members of the Heavenly Evil Cult.

He dealt with it as he came across it... For Chu Qing now, these things were nothing to boast about.

He didn't even need to take action himself to deal with these people.

During the free time along the way, Chu Qing also gave Wu Qianhuan and the others some pointers on their martial arts.

The best way to help them improve quickly is to start with areas they are familiar with.

This can enhance their combat power at the fastest speed.

Therefore, Chu Qing did not teach them any new martial arts. Instead, he started from their most familiar areas, providing a high-level perspective to help them reach even greater heights.

However, the shepherd girl had no interest in martial arts; she preferred lightness skills. Chu Qing happened to be an expert in this area, which made her even faster.

And so they traveled all the way from the Northern Region to the Eastern Region.

For a short time after entering the Eastern Region, they hadn't felt anything yet... but when they entered the first city in the Eastern Region, they all fell silent.

This city is very large; you can see the three large characters written on the city wall from afar: Zijiang City.

But there was no one outside the city, unlike the bustling scenes at the gates of other cities in the region.

As they followed the path deeper into the city, they found it deserted.

Only a stench wafted on the wind, and the rats, no longer confined to the darkness, swaggered around the streets.

Chu Qing frowned slightly and took out a black cloth to cover the faces of the group.

He then took out the antidote pills prepared by the Yin-Yang Hermit and had them take them before continuing along the street.

Soon, they saw a child who looked to be only seven or eight years old, sitting on the steps by the gate. His pupils had long lost their luster, and he had been dead for some time.

She was so thin and emaciated that it looked as if she had starved to death.

Chu Qing felt a slight pang in her heart, but she forced herself not to look any longer and continued walking forward. Occasionally, she would see corpses on the street, seemingly struggling to climb forward, with one hand raised forward before they died, as if they were searching for something precious.

There weren't many corpses on the streets, but most of them were children.

When they arrived at the center of the city, they witnessed a living hell.

Countless corpses were piled up in one place, forming a towering mountain.

Wild dogs ran up the mountain, rats scurried in the shadows, and the corpses had long since rotted and stinked, spreading a gloomy atmosphere everywhere.

The blood accumulated on the ground, mixed with the soil, churned and resembled flesh and blood.

A strong sense of discomfort filled Wenrou's heart. She already had a keen sense of smell, and at this moment she could no longer bear it. She turned around, lifted her mask, and vomited violently.

The commotion attracted the attention of wild dogs and rats in the mountains, and a frantic barking erupted.

Several wild dogs came running down from the mountaintop. Having tasted the flesh of the dead, they were not about to let go of the few living people they had finally encountered.

Even the rats in the shadows seemed like black streams, converging into a river amidst the filthy flesh and blood.

They met up with the few stray dogs with bloodshot eyes and planned to feast.

Chu Qing took a step forward, and ice spread from his feet, instantly freezing the already crazed rats and dogs.

With a surge of internal energy, the ice shattered, and a touch of crimson appeared on the ground.

At this moment, the rats that had not yet died seemed to recall the fear of being dominated by humans, and cowered in the shadows, not daring to take another step.

Chu Qing silently looked up at the indescribable mountain of flesh and blood, and slowly closed her eyes.

Everyone in the city is dead!
It was the Heavenly Evil Cult that did it.

There's no need to overthink this... Only they could be so ruthless as to slaughter an entire city so easily.

Chu Qing had heard of similar methods before.

Back when they were in Lingbei, several cities were slaughtered by the Heavenly Slaughtering Soldier and his disciples of the Heavenly Evil Cult.

The scene inside is exactly the same as it is now.

However, after the battle at Xianyun Mountain, people from the three prefectures, three sects, and three clans went to handle the aftermath.

Chu Qing had only learned about the tragic situation from their words, but this was the first time she had seen it with her own eyes.

The killing intent that had been dormant in his heart for so long began to boil over once again.

“Those children…were hidden by them.”

Wu Qianhuan suddenly spoke.

She suddenly understood why most of those who starved to death sitting at their doorsteps were children.

Because when chaos begins, parents will instinctively hide their children.

Some who couldn't hide also died in the heart of this city.

It became part of that 'mountain'.

Some hid, but because they were too young, after the evil people left, they came out of their homes crying, but could no longer find their relatives.

They were lost and didn't know where to go or what to do.

Although they had the instinct to survive, they were ultimately too young.

Perhaps some children escaped the city and found a way to survive... but most of them remained here forever.

Wu Qianhuan couldn't imagine what those children were thinking when they came here and saw these countless corpses...

I don't even dare to think about whether they will wonder what happened when their lives come to an end.
How did yesterday's perfectly normal routine suddenly get completely shattered?

Living, breathing parents, suddenly killed by a butcher's knife?

"let's go……"

Chu Qing's voice reached the ears of the three.

They were silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

This 'mountain' is too high; they have no way to handle it.

Even with Chu Qing's exceptional martial arts skills, he was powerless to help in this situation.

But just as she was about to leave, Chu Qing suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.

Wu Qianhuan and the other two knew that he had noticed something, so they all followed his gaze.

After a long while, a group of people finally appeared at the end of the street.

They looked blank, some carrying coffins on their backs, others with straw mats tied around their waists. There were many of them, and they swarmed towards this place with their tiny, dense footsteps.

"The person who buried the body..."

Chu Qing hadn't seen these people for a very, very long time.

The last time I saw him was in Divine Blade City.

After that, they were never seen again, not even in Immortal Cloud Mountain, Ten Deadly Caves, Absolute Heaven Pass, or Ghost God Gorge.
As Chu Qing and his group of four stood there, the burial crew remained silent, continuing forward without ever glancing at them, as if they didn't exist.

They arrived at the 'mountain' and began to slowly shake it, separating the rotting, mangled corpses from the 'mountain'. Then they silently left the city to find a suitable place to bury them.

They were silent... yet they gave Chu Qing a silent shock for the first time.

After leaving Zijiang City, we continued our journey towards Zhaixia Mountain, seeing rows of new graves standing in the mountains and fields.

These graves are silent, with tombstones but no inscriptions.

It's likely that this was the work of the person who buried the body.

One city after another passed by, three in a row, all empty cities, leaving only graves scattered across the land.

When they reached the fourth city they had ever seen, they finally found a living city.

To Chu Qing's surprise, he saw a familiar person as soon as he stepped into the place.

The sword named Jinghong stood there.

The unkempt man was completely drunk.

(End of this chapter)