Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 448 The Evil Cultivator Revealed
————Outside Chongming City

"Phew, these water ghosts are a real pain. More than a month has passed, and we still haven't found a trace of them." Kang Changxi looked at the rushing river in front of him with some dissatisfaction.

This caused his subordinate, the Green-Armored Earth Tiger, to be wrongly accused and to receive a hard punch, groaning incessantly.

He Chang, standing to the side, also looked dejected. He had been searching along the river for over a month, and although he had sensed resentment seeping out several times, he still hadn't found any trace of the water ghost. Anyone would be discouraged.

This assignment was extremely tedious and boring. Staying here for too long would not be of any benefit to the two of them. If it weren't for saving face, they might have already given up.

Seeing this scene from a distance, Fei Enhua shared the same thoughts as the two, while Chongmingzong truly had nothing to do.

Even if a first-tier water ghost is left unattended, how many people can it harm in a year? It's a bit of an overreaction that even such a small matter requires the disciple's attention.

Kang Dabao has been pretending for so long that he has not only fooled outsiders but has also come to believe it himself, leading him to engage in unprofitable business.

Since Kang Changxi stayed here for a long time, Fei Enhua, who was sent out to protect him, naturally couldn't get away either. He was thinking about whether he should help the two juniors deal with this task.

Although the water ghosts on both sides were cunning, their concealment techniques were child's play in the eyes of Fei Enhua, a late-stage true cultivator. As long as he was willing to make a move, it would be difficult for them to escape.

As he thought this, he slowly swept his fingers across his eyes, activated his divine vision, and with a flash of light in his pupils, he saw clearly the details at the bottom of the turbulent river.

Just as they spotted the water ghost, Kang Changxi exclaimed in surprise from afar, "Brother Chang, look! That ship looks like it's about to sink!"

Looking back, Feinhua saw a small boat carrying seven or eight ordinary people, being tossed about by the rapids in the middle of the river, barely able to stay afloat.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"We finally made it all the way from Baisha County to this paradise of Pingrong County to find food, and yet we still run into this kind of thing?!"

"I already told my second brother that we need to buy a map and study the hydrology before setting sail. What are we going to do now?!"

"Brother, you make it sound so easy. The servants of the Tie family were pressuring us to the death. It was already extremely lucky that we managed to escape from Baisha County by seizing a fast boat. How could we have had the leisure to study hydrology? Besides, if it weren't for your insistence on rescuing people in the river, how could our whole family have been swept up by the undercurrent?!"

The man leading the group blushed and said in a hoarse voice, "To be able to float in the river for so long without dying, one must be either an immortal or a martial arts master. Our Shang family's wealth and prosperity may begin from this. How can we not take a gamble?!"

The three arguing men suddenly stopped talking, unanimously putting down their oars and looking into the boat's awning.

In the already cramped space, several women and children squeezed together with some rice, flour, and oil, leaving most of the space for an old man with his eyes closed to lie quietly.

The old man looked to be about sixty or seventy years old. A few unkempt grass clippings clung to his messy gray hair, and his black robe looked half-dry from being baked, full of wrinkles.

His emaciated body swayed from side to side with the waves, his breathing so faint as to be barely perceptible to the average person. Only his tightly furrowed brows hinted that he still possessed some life force. If a person with keen eyesight were to look closely, they could also see a trace of extremely pure resentment emanating from him from time to time.

"Smack!" "Smack!"

"Waaaaah"

The unreasonable roar of the rapids mingled with the cries of women and children, and the leader of the boats felt a pang of anxiety, nearly dropping the oar he was holding to save his life into the river.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Having finally escaped the oppressive rule of the Tie family, am I still destined for a hasty death?!"

Just as the leader was sighing, the deck beneath his feet suddenly cracked open, and a long, pale arm pierced through the hardwood and emerged. The women and children screamed, and the leader felt a chill run down his spine. He had heard of such evil creatures as water ghosts from powerful martial artists when he traveled all over the country.

Knowing that this was no ordinary person who could defeat him, he no longer had any thoughts of resistance. He sighed, closed his eyes, and awaited death.

Unexpectedly, the water ghost beneath his feet had no interest in this rough man whatsoever. Instead, it broke through the deck, revealing its naked body covered in icy air, and pounced straight into the cabin.

"That's right, the flesh and blood of women and babies need to be more delicate!"

The man was so despondent that he didn't even care about the lives of his wife and children, and was only thinking about waiting for his whole family to die. But unexpectedly, a chance for survival suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey you evil spirit, behold my flying sword!"

The leader heard a young man's voice and instinctively turned his head to look. He saw a white streak appear first and sever the water ghost's right arm, which was about to reach into the boat's awning, cleanly at the root.

Blue blood gushed across the boat, a sight the women and children had never witnessed before. Their screams startled even He Chang, who had come to their aid. It was true that Jiang Qing had been cultivating at the Fei family in Yingzhou for the past five years, but He Chang had also been personally taught by Jiang Qing during his early education.

Don't assume that Jiang Qing only passed on those few foundational techniques and that it's nothing special. He Chang encountered two members of the same level from the Shujian Sect in the wilderness when he was away on official business the year before last.

The two families did have a past grudge, and the young people were full of vigor, so they started fighting without saying a word. In the end, He Chang, who had been cultivating for much shorter years, won a great victory, resulting in one death and one injury among the two inner disciples of the Book and Sword Sect, who were from a family with a tradition of combining books and swords.

Therefore, although he didn't know why the water ghost had been hiding for so long and chose to come out to harm people at this time, He Chang didn't have time to think too much. His magic sword was extremely sharp, and in no time he had cut down the water ghost, whose cultivation was even higher than his, and forced it to retreat step by step.

This water ghost was able to remain hidden for so long, showing it was extremely cautious. This inanimate creature had no regard for appearances; after spitting out a tangible spit of resentful mist, it managed to briefly stop the oncoming He Chang, before plunging into the river without pause.

"Roar!"

However, its plan backfired. A ferocious beast covered in scales flew over the boat, carrying people. Thick evil energy gushed from its mouth with a tiger's roar, causing the water ghost figure, which had already been severely weakened by the use of the mist arrow, to stumble and its entire body to become even fainter.

Before the water ghost could even utter its shriek, a beam of halberd light cleaved it in two from top to bottom. Strangely enough, the halberd light, though incredibly sharp, stopped abruptly after obliterating the water ghost, leaving not even a speck of wood on the boat unharmed.

"A celestial being??" The leading man stammered in disbelief, then leaned back, his chest heaving uncontrollably, panting heavily, his whole body drenched in sweat, it was hard to tell if it was sweat or water.

Kang Changxi casually cast a spell to seal the leaking breach, then picked up a dark-colored Yin Bead from the deck, smiled, and handed it to He Chang, sighing:
"This task assigned by Senior Brother Han is quite tedious. After we return to our sect, we must ask him to treat us to a good meal at Chongming Pavilion."

Having finally accomplished his mission, He Chang felt a sense of relief. After taking the Yin Pearl, which still retained some chill, and exchanging a few words with Kang Changxi, he didn't rush to question the strong men on the deck who had just returned from the brink of death. Instead, he turned and searched inside the awning.

After taking a few steps, he stopped and pointed at the old man in black robes, asking, "Who is this old man?"

The women and children continued to weep and wail, unable to utter a coherent sentence, let alone answer. Finally, the leader of the group struggled to his feet from the deck, ran over, bowed, and replied:
"Reporting to the Immortal Master, this gentleman was rescued by me yesterday from the river section ahead. Could he also be an immortal? Could you please check if he is someone you know? I'm sure I haven't misled anyone."

He Chang found the man annoying, but because he had already delivered the task, he was in a good mood. Although he disliked him, he did not stop the man from babbling on. Instead, he activated his divine eye and carefully scanned the old man in black robes from head to toe.

This matter is not difficult to handle. If He Chang had not been quite meticulous, it would have been possible to verify it in just a few breaths.

"What kind of cultivator is this?" As He Chang shook his head, his words chilled the eager heart of the man beside him.

Then the former spoke again: "This old man has no spiritual energy at all. Even a dying Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator wouldn't be in such a state. His physical body might be considered decent among mortals, but it also shows signs of decay. Before this serious injury, he was probably a Martial Grandmaster or a Blood Refining level cultivator, right?"

Kang Changxi curiously stepped over to take a look, and was about to touch the old man's black robe when a deep, steady voice sounded above him:

"Why aren't you leaving yet?!"

The blue-armored tiger, which was sniffing around at another strong man on the deck, was startled by the sound. It not only shrank its head but also tucked its tail between its legs.

"Uncle." "Senior Fei."

Fei Enhua glanced at the boat and said coldly, "Why waste time with a bunch of mortals? Don't you think we've wasted enough time? Go back quickly. Your Chongming Sect has a new round of competition coming up. You should think of ways to compete for first place."

Hearing Fei Enhua say this, He Chang became even more certain of his judgment and immediately responded respectfully along with Kang Changxi.

After speaking, Feinhua urged him again, turned around and left. However, he did not see the old man lying quietly loosen his left index finger, which had been bent, or his tightly furrowed brows, which seemed to relax slightly.

Even Fei Enhua, a late-stage true cultivator, could hardly detect the anomaly, so it was even more difficult for Kang and He to discern. After being shouted at by Fei Enhua, Kang Changxi lost the idea of ​​touching the old man's clothes.

After exchanging a word with He Chang, Kang Changxi stood at the stern, took out a piece of animal meat, and fed it to the Green-Armored Earth Tiger, who was drooling over the boat full of fresh meat.

He Chang, at the former's instruction, called the somewhat bewildered leader to his side and instructed him: "Speaking of which, you have done me a small favor. Here is a calming talisman, keep it, it will ensure the safety of your small boat."

"Travel another sixty li, and you'll find a city that belongs to my family, called 'Chongming.' I'll also give you a letter; once you reach the city gate, simply give it to any cultivator there, and it will be enough to ensure your family's safety and well-being."

On behalf of Shang Baijiang and his entire family, we kowtow in gratitude to the Immortal Master!!!

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

The two brothers ignored the sounds of thanks from the passengers on the boat and rode their mounts back to their clan, leaving only two streaks of light for the few pairs of eyes on the boat to watch.

The moment the two left, the strong man, whose limbs had gone limp from the sniff of the green-armored tiger, jumped up and ran straight to the boat awning.

"What are you doing?" Shang Baijiang shouted sternly when he saw the old man lying still.

"Brother, since even the immortals have said he's not an immortal, then why should we keep him around?" The strong man's words were full of grievance.

"Is a little bit of time too much?!" It was clear that Shang Baijiang had a lot of authority. With just one more shout, his aggrieved younger brother dared not argue back and could only carefully put the old man back down.

Shang Baijiang took a deep breath and shouted, "We won't starve him! Even if he's not an immortal, that immortal just said he might be a great martial arts master. Life is tough in a foreign land. After saving his life, our Shang family will still have a powerful backer. Isn't that great?!"

After these words, no one spoke again on the boat. The three men picked up their oars again, and the plain-colored talisman affixed to the stern emitted a faint spiritual light around the boat, allowing it to move steadily forward, filled with the joy of surviving a calamity.

After traveling for about half a day, Shang Baijiang, his body aching all over, put down his oars and took a break to wipe his sweat. When he looked up, he saw a magnificent city built along the river, towering majestically, like a celestial palace.

"We've arrived! Some are alive! Some are alive!!!"

Just as the crowd, whose tears were still wet, could no longer suppress their laughter and burst into tears, the eyes of the old man in black robes who had been lying quietly on the ground, ignored by everyone, seemed to open slightly.

—A month later
Tang Jiu, the assistant disciple of Chongming City, was checking the register of the people with the city lord Kang Rongguang.

Although this eldest disciple of Jin Shilun had only just come of age, he had already become a true disciple of Chongming two years prior, and was cultivating the Hong-level cultivation method. In terms of the smoothness of his path to immortality, it was enough to make his master Jin Shilun extremely envious.

It's no wonder that many powerful families, even knowing that cultivation cannot be judged solely by spiritual roots, still greatly favor disciples like Tang Jiu who possess outstanding spiritual root aptitude.

The task of assisting the disciples in Chongming City is quite tedious, and Tang Jiu, a promising Foundation Establishment cultivator, should return to the mountains to cultivate properly and not be stuck here for too long. Headmaster Kang has already secured a prestigious position for his grand-disciple, and he will be able to step down in a year or two after the outer sect steward, Sun Fu, has properly trained his newly accepted disciple.

However, since Jin Shilun is currently busy running around seeking good deeds, Tang Jiu naturally has to take on this responsibility for her master.

Inside the extremely luxurious city lord's mansion, Kang Rongguang, with his temples graying, held the register and read it respectfully and meticulously: "Thanks to the meticulous care of the sect leader and the two immortal masters, Chongming City now has more than 216,000 households and more than 850,000 strong men and women. Every year, it can provide more than 10,000 children of the right age to participate in the Ascension Assembly, which is enough to ensure that the Chongming lineage continues uninterrupted."

Policies are always delayed. Back then, countless people said that Master Kang was meddling too much, even personally handling matters like the reproduction of mortals, devising plans and strategies, and even sending his disciples to build water conservancy projects and administer medicine and acupuncture for mortals. It was truly laughable.

However, if it weren't for this, Chongming City would never have become one of the most prosperous cities in the surrounding counties in just a few decades.

It should be noted that the numbers Kang Rongguang just recited had already subtracted a large number of clansmen who had been taken to the Cold Raven Mountains by various cultivators to develop their clans.

Just look at how prosperous Chongming City is now. Before the Kang family leader took over, the entire clan only had a little over two hundred members. Over the years, they have grown into a large clan with thousands of members, and even produced a Qi Refining cultivator.

However, Tang Jiu's face still showed no joy. He simply flipped through the books in his hand while listening to Kang Rongguang continue reading: "Among them, there will be 100,000 martial artists who will serve annually and can supply the mines in various parts of the sect."

There are 351 registered practitioners, including 273 in the early stage, 55 in the middle stage, and 23 in the later stage. Most are migrant families, a small portion are sojourners, and the remaining ten are temporary hires of the city lord's office for patrol and guard duties.

When Kang Rongguang finished speaking, Tang Jiu raised his eyelids and instructed, "Please tell Daoist Ning that all the guards should keep their eyes open when they are on duty. They should not only think about plundering benefits, but also pay attention to their work and not let any unruly wild cultivators sneak into the city to cause trouble."

All cultivators entering the city must register; even true cultivators cannot be allowed in arbitrarily! Otherwise, if trouble arises and our master blames us, none of us can afford to suffer the consequences.”

"Yes! Immortal Master Tang, rest assured, I will immediately inform Immortal Master Ning after I go down." Kang Rongguang respectfully replied and was about to leave when he heard a loud noise coming from outside the city.

The loud noise came from an unknown distance, but Ning Daoren, who was on duty on the city wall, trembled, and many simple houses inside the city also shook.

Despite his trembling heart, Ning Daoren was still incredibly curious. However, as soon as he activated his magic eye to look up, the dazzling light on the horizon caused his eyes to ache terribly. As blood and tears splattered down his face, he screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Tang Jiucai leaped out of the city lord's mansion and ascended into the air on his flying sword. His knowledge was far superior to that of Ning Daoren, a crude rogue cultivator. With just a glance, he knew that the battle in the distance was at least between Golden Core cultivators. With his meager cultivation, how could he dare to use his magic eyes to see the details?

He immediately ordered the city's garrison and guards to go through the streets and alleys, beating gongs and drums, and to tell them that everything was peaceful and the situation outside was not serious, thus temporarily suppressing the panic in the city.

Not long after he issued his decree, several streaks of light flashed across Xiaohuan Mountain, most heading towards the center of the battle, while only two were heading towards Chongming City.

Foundation Establishment cultivators are fast, and Tang Jiu didn't have to wait long before he saw two familiar figures standing in front of the city gate.

"Second Uncle, Master!" Tang Jiu bowed and was about to ask a question when Duan Anle solemnly said, "That is a battle between the upper cultivators of the Liangyi Sect and the Golden Core cultivators of the State Court. Your Uncle has taken the other Grand Uncles there. We don't need to interfere."

"Yes," Tang Jiu replied, her mind clear. She didn't ask any more questions about things that were far beyond her control.

Jin Shilun was also very serious, and he began to instruct: "Do not be stingy with spirit stones, and keep the magic array open. Close the city gates. Junior Brother Song Cheng will bring the disciples of the Punishment Hall to search the entire city later. Until then, no one in the city, whether immortal, mortal, human, or beast, is allowed to leave the city!"

Tang Jiu then became curious: "Master, what are we looking for?"

Jin Shilun shook his head, his brows still furrowed: "Not to mention I don't know, even your grandmaster doesn't know. I only heard that a Golden Core cultivator from the Liangyi Sect sneaked into the five prefectures under the jurisdiction of the state to search for him. On his way back through Baisha County, he was discovered by Pill Master Yue Lin, who then forcibly entangled the cultivator, preventing him from escaping."

This escalated the situation, with waves of people from both sides gathering at Old Ox Mountain to confront each other. It was rumored that even the Grand Elder of the Two Elements Sect and Elder Tianqin of the Fei family had been mobilized.

"Understood, disciple. I will make the arrangements immediately. If anything unusual happens in the city, I will report back right away."

"Well, there's no need to be too nervous. The Five Continents are so vast, and that Golden Core cultivator has searched for so long without finding it. What he's looking for might not even be in our Chongming City."

"Yes, disciple, I will do it now."

(End of this chapter)