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Chapter 256 It’s scary to think about it carefully

After returning from the Liu family, Ji You and the others from the Si Xian Jian stayed at the same inn.

After resting until noon, visiting cards from prominent families in Zhongzhou began to be delivered to the inn again.

These posts were clearly written hastily; some were even still wet with ink.

Among these prominent families who came to deliver invitations was the Qiu family.

In fact, as early as after Ji You defeated Yan Hao, the Qiu family head regretted why he hadn't insisted on marrying his daughter to him. Later, he personally sought help from He Lingxiu and invited Ji You to remarry.

But on that occasion, Ji You returned to Fengzhou.

Now that he has heard what happened in the mountains last night, his desire to make amends is even stronger.

To show their sincerity, the head of the Qiu family even summoned his daughter, Qiu Hanyue, and ordered her to personally deliver the invitation.

He originally thought his daughter would refuse, since she had previously wanted to marry into a more prestigious family than the Qiu family, so he prepared a whole bunch of persuasive arguments.

To the surprise of the Qiu family patriarch, Qiu Hanyue accepted the invitation without saying a word and hurriedly went to the inn.

Previously, when he sat down to drink tea with other scions of prominent families, they all urged him to stop.

Especially those sisters, saying that sometimes fate is just so strange, and besides, you didn't want to marry him in the first place, so there's no need to hurt yourself for him now.

Her best friend Sheng Xiyu also tried to persuade her, saying that even if he was powerful, it would not change the fact that he was all alone now.

But for some reason, Qiu Hanyue couldn't be as open-minded as her sisters said; it seemed as if she harbored some resentment in her heart.

So, on the way to the inn, Qiu's daughter prepared her explanation, such as that she did not know him when she was in the Heavenly Dao Society, and that the reason she resisted was because she did not like to listen to others arrange her marriage, not because she had any opinion about him, etc.

But when these young ladies of the Qiu family arrived at the inn, they couldn't help but freeze in place.

She discovered that many of her sisters had gathered at the inn, especially Sheng Xiyu, who was also there.

Compared to when they were drinking tea in the courtyard earlier, Sheng Xiyu had even changed into a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), revealing a patch of white, smooth cleavage, which made Qiu Hanyue's face darken.

I will live the good life my sister never got to experience.

However, Ji You ultimately accepted the invitation from the Yu family of Zhongzhou.

The Yu family did not have a full-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), so naturally they did not have a snow-white, round face, but for Ji Hanfei, whose purpose was to eat, the banquet they prepared was still quite good.

After breaking through two major physical barriers, Yan Shu does need more sisters, but the one in charge is still the arrogant ghost.

Besides, these young ladies from prominent families in Zhongzhou don't seem to be able to withstand much persuasion...

Zhongzhou was only a temporary stop.

After a night, as dawn broke, Ji You, who had rested there for the night, boarded a carriage from the Sixianjian (Immortal Supervisor) and prepared to head to Shangping County in Dongliang Prefecture.

There is also a vast mountain range there, which harbors a considerable number of evil creatures.

Ji You sat in the bumpy carriage, seeing many immortal sects and aristocratic families traveling in and out of the remote mountains.

These immortal sect members did not participate in the extermination of the evil species; he was with the people from the Immortal Supervisory Bureau and was very clear about this.

So they weren't afraid of the evil species causing harm, but rather they were investigating something.

As Ji You sat in the carriage, looking at these disciples of the immortal sect, images of demons ascending to heaven on Qiling Mountain flashed through his mind.

The appearance of so many evil creatures, with their numbers still unknown, has likely stirred up the nerves of the major immortal sects and aristocratic families.

They were probably so nervous because they thought of what happened in Qiling.

Ji You turned his gaze away and felt the carriage slowly come to a stop. He then lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage, only to find that he had arrived in Shangping County, Dongliang Prefecture.

Meanwhile, many immortal sects and aristocratic families were traveling in and out of the mountains and forests. When they saw Ji You appear on the long street, they couldn't help but focus their attention on him.

He had just come from the sacred site of the ancients last night, and not many people had seen him. So, when he was encountered on the street, he naturally attracted the attention of many people.

"He came out of the sacred site of the mountain sages. When did this happen? How come I haven't heard about it?"

"It's probably within the next few days, otherwise there would be more news."

"Why is he here instead of returning to the Heavenly Academy?"

"It seems they came with the Directorate of Immortals, probably also about the matter of the evil seed."

"Those who returned from the holy land before all said that it took them more than half a year to reach the Profound Realm. Is that true?"

"His aura is concealed; he can't see clearly..."

Amidst the discussions, the small team dispatched by the Directorate of Immortals to be stationed here hurriedly arrived and reported to Mu Jing about the situation of the evil species in the mountains.

The number of evil creatures here is less than in the Upper South Mountains, but the problem is that they are too scattered and not gathered in the valleys, so they need to be defeated one by one.

The southern slope has the largest number of these structures, and its vegetation is denser and the terrain is more complex. Compared to the northern slope, which has a gentler terrain, the southern slope is significantly more dangerous.

However, just listening only gives you a general idea, not the whole picture.

So, led by this stationed squad, the group took a walk around the barren mountain.

After they finished looking around, Mu Jing subconsciously turned to look at Ji You; "What does Young Master Ji think?"

Ji You pondered for a while and said, "I'll go to the south slope, and you guys go to the north slope."

"Isn't this...too dangerous? The terrain on the south slope is at a disadvantage for us."

"There's a village to the south. I won't be modest, but your efficiency is too slow. I'm afraid some evil creatures might escape. Otherwise, I would definitely take money to do something so dangerous."

After listening, Mu Jing looked towards the south slope: "Young Master Ji is truly different from other cultivators. I originally thought that you would eventually change."

The people in the Immortal Cultivation Bureau were very clear about Ji You's journey on the path of cultivation.

Even Ji You himself was unaware that he actually had a separate case file within the Sixianjian (Immortal Supervisory Bureau).

Those who know his past have always felt that he would change.

He entered the Immortal Sect and the Inner Court, and rose to fame at the Heavenly Dao Assembly. People like him in the past had basically become high-ranking immortals, just like the scions of noble families at that time.

Especially yesterday, those young ladies from immortal sects, dressed in their finest attire, all wanted to invite him inside.

If he wanted to, he would have already integrated into the immortal sect.

But what he's thinking about now are those mortals whose deaths wouldn't have much of an impact in the eyes of cultivators.

Afterwards, the members of the Inspection Department sat together, devised a plan to eliminate the evil seed, and then entered the desolate mountains.

Ji You parted ways with them at the mountain stream, then picked up his sword and headed towards the south slope.

There are indeed many evil corpses on the south slope, and they are hidden in various corners.

Ji You observed for a long time from a safe distance that would not trigger the ferocity of the evil species, and determined the approximate location where those evil species were hiding. Then, he released his aura and his power began to gather continuously.

In an instant, he vanished like a blur and sped toward the south slope.

Seemingly sensing human presence, the evil creature on the hillside instantly became agitated, its malevolent aura surging upwards, its face contorting into a ferocious expression as it roared towards Ji You.

Ji You did not stop. As his blood and qi surged, he stepped back to the west, his feet bursting with energy, instantly shattering a piece of rock.

Meanwhile, the evil creatures from the west immediately bared their fangs and claws, surging towards him like a tidal wave.

If viewed from above, the entire scene would appear as dozens of evil creatures, wandering in different locations, converging together. Some would circle in an arc, while others would rush straight ahead, all heading towards Ji You.

Killing them one by one would be too time-consuming and laborious, and some might be missed if one was not careful. Ji You was unwilling to do anything too uncertain, so he had already decided to use their ferocity to gather them together.

This is risky, because the bodies of evil creatures are incredibly strong and difficult to kill with a single sword strike.

Therefore, when evil species gather, the risk of being overwhelmed by a horde of corpses increases infinitely.

boom!
Ji You suddenly stopped, the heavy force of his foot kicking up a cloud of sand and dust in the mountainside.

The evil creatures, whose ferocity had been unleashed, were already charging forward. Ji You, who had stopped, drew his sword, and the gleaming blade emitted a resounding clang.

Meanwhile, facing the charging evil creature, a scorching aura began to ripple through the mountain peaks.

Then a clear, sharp sword light shot up, stirring up a gust of wind and waves. [Dao Sword Willow Green New]

Under the powerful sword energy, ripples spread through the air as the scorching blade slashed out horizontally.

As the sword descended, the mountains trembled. The front-line evil beings charging forward hadn't even come into contact with the incomparably sharp sword energy before their bodies were shattered by the heavy force.

Then, as the sword energy swept across, countless evil corpses were pierced through by the sharp sword, their limbs flying everywhere.

In fact, Mu Jing sent a team to assist Ji You, but Ji You assigned them to the outer perimeter of the southern slope, where they were only responsible for guarding the area.

When Ji You rushed out, they realized that in order to prevent the evil species from escaping, Ji You had chosen to use himself as bait to gather all the evil species together.

Even knowing Ji You's formidable combat prowess, they couldn't help but feel alarmed as they watched the dark mass of evil beings surge forward.

It wasn't until the fiery blade swept across, and the oncoming shockwave cut their faces like knives, that they realized what the evil species on the southern slope was facing...

"Evil seeds really don't have any special characteristics."

"There are no clothes, and the shriveled corpses all look the same. It seems that the reason why the Bureau of Immortals cannot confirm the source of the evil seed is not because they were slacking off."

After sheathing his sword, Ji You squatted on the ground, groping around in front of several evil corpses, trying to find something that could explain their origin, but he was greatly disappointed.

There was nothing to prove the origin, and he couldn't even confirm whether this batch came from the same source as the batch in the Shangnan Mountains...

The Sixianjian and the Zhenbei Army squad on the north slope are currently engaged in fierce fighting. Once all the evil spirits have been eliminated, they will leave the mountain to reunite with Ji You.

The Immortal Sect and the Noble Families did not receive orders to eliminate the evil spirits, so they waited in the county town.

Seeing everyone go in and come out again in less than an hour, he couldn't help but look surprised.

They naturally knew the number of evil creatures in the mountains, and they also knew that those copper-skinned, iron-boned ghosts were not easy to kill, especially on the southern slope, where not only was the terrain complex, but there were also many evil creatures.

What surprised these people was that they were able to completely eliminate the evil seed in such a short time...

After the evil spirits in Shangping County were completely eradicated, the Directorate of Immortals waited there for a day.

This place is relatively close to Qingzhou, and the task of eliminating the evil species in Qingzhou is the execution office of the Sixianjian. Mu Jing had originally arranged to return to the capital with Wang Mian, the head of the execution office, but she waited and waited and no one came.

So he left a few people to go to Qingzhou to investigate the situation, while the rest of the people took a carriage back to Shengjing.

Also departing were the disciples of the Immortal Sect who had come to investigate the area where the evil spirits roamed.

Just as Ji You had guessed, neither the Immortal Sect nor the aristocratic families had much interest in the evil species themselves, nor did they intend to send powerful figures to suppress these rebellious evil species.

The reason they sent their disciples to investigate was indeed because the dark cloud behind the appearance of the evil species had stirred their nerves.

After investigation, the locations where evil spirits appeared were basically clear. The major immortal sects and families compiled the information they received and then drew a map.

The initial chaos gradually began to return to order, which sparked numerous closed-door discussions.

"As shown on the map, all the evil species basically appear in the mountains and fields. Some are close to the ruins, but there are also some places with no trace of the ruins around them. At the very least, this can be said to mean that they did not escape from the ruins, just like what happened back then."

"You mean the evil species can move outside the ruins?"

"Indeed, this kind of thing only happened in the Qiling incident. Such a coincidence suggests a connection, so this may not be a natural disaster, but rather a man-made one..."

"But we've tried many times before, and it's true that we can't bring anything out of the ruins no matter what we do."

"This is the most puzzling thing, and the most unsettling thing..."

The relics left by the remnants of the ancient clans have always been a taboo in the world of Qingyun. Especially after the Qiling incident, all the major relics were guarded by the immortal sects and families, and on the surface it was said that entry was strictly prohibited.

However, although everything was calm after the death of the Zheng family patriarch, some immortal sects and aristocratic families never gave up their research on the ruins.

However, after a long period of research, they still hadn't found anything of value.

The power within the ruins is not accepted by the outside world; anything brought out will turn to ashes, and those who consume those things will never be able to leave.

Even the best things are useless and have no value; naturally, they will no longer be cherished by people.

The sudden appearance of the evil species makes it hard not to think of what happened before, and makes people wonder if there are other ancestors or something.

That's how things are sometimes. If you only look at the surface, it may seem like just another instance of evil causing harm, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear that things are not so simple.

Similarly, people in teahouses and taverns were also discussing these matters extensively.

They didn't have a map, but through the constant flow of rumors, they could probably figure out where the evil species had been discovered.

This lively scene is different from before. The previous liveliness was orderly, but the current clamor of voices seems somewhat chaotic.

Meanwhile, a carriage from the Imperial Observatory returned from the west and entered the city through the city gate.

Upon arriving at the sacred path in front of the Heavenly Academy, Ji You lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage shaft.

Although he only stayed in the sacred land of the sages for more than half a year, if the Heavenly Dao Society is included, he has been gone for almost a year.

For cultivators, this year is naturally as short as a fleeting moment, but Ji You still felt as if he had been away for a long time.

With no more wicked disciples stealing silver, Instructor Cao must be in great pain, constantly worrying about how to spend his monthly salary.

Then there's the Dragon Immortal Emperor, whose money bag is so bulging it must be making him suffer in silence.

Ji You felt a pang of heartache when she thought of the two of them, so she stepped onto the sacred path and headed towards the mountain gate.

In fact, rumors about Ji You leaving the sacred site of the ancient sages have been circulating in the past few days.

However, because the matter of the evil seed was of great importance, this news was drowned out by the discussions. Otherwise, people would surely have gathered in front of the Heavenly Academy to see if he had really stayed in the Holy Land of the Sages for more than half a year and was still only at the Profound Realm.

Ji You walked along the path beside the Baiyutai Terrace towards Cao Jingsong's courtyard and reached out to push open the door.

To his surprise, the person sitting in the courtyard was not Cao Jingsong, but Ding Angding, an instructor from the outer courtyard.

Ding Ang was having tea with Ma Zhiyuan, the instructor, in the courtyard, and they were talking about the Evil Seed. When he saw Ji You, he couldn't help but stare blankly.

Having not seen each other for a whole year, meeting again can indeed be disorienting.

"Ji You...?"

"It's me. What are you two instructors doing in Instructor Cao's courtyard?"

Ding Ang stared at him for a long time before he came back to his senses and said, "Well, Cao Jingsong has done a good job in training his disciples. According to the instructions of the academy, my original courtyard has been given to him to live in."

Ji You glanced at Ding Ang: "So Instructor Ding was moved to this courtyard?"

"Yes……"

"Instructor Cao's actions are rather arrogant; it's downright blatant extortion."

Ji You couldn't help but frown: "Teacher Ding, give me some silver, and I'll teach him a lesson for you."

Ding Ang and Ma Zhiyuan exchanged a glance: "Well, never mind, we know your style very well."

Seeing that Ding Ang was unwilling to spend money to make him a wicked disciple, Ji You did not insist on forcing the sale. So he asked about the courtyard where Cao Jingsong was located and then turned to leave.

Ding Ang and Ma Zhiyuan escorted him to the door. After watching him leave, they exchanged a glance after a long silence: "The rumors are true, Ji You is indeed a Tongxuan."

Ma Zhiyuan swallowed hard: "Why not give him a try?"

"I have no personal grudge against him."

"Isn't Cao Jingsong's arrogance solely due to his wicked disciple?"

"That's true, but as an instructor, I shouldn't hold a grudge against a junior..."

Ma Zhiyuan glanced at Ding Ang and thought to himself that if he didn't dare, he should just say he didn't dare; there was nothing shameful about it. In reality, he wasn't really that brave either.

Because almost everyone in the Heavenly Academy knew that Ji You's cultivation had always been strange.

This strangeness most likely stems from his body-refining method, which makes him not only invincible within his own realm but also capable of fighting enemies beyond his realm.

Ding Ang and Ma Zhiyuan are both at the upper level of the Fusion Dao Realm, so in theory they should have no problem crushing a Profound Realm cultivator. However, when they think that the Profound Realm cultivator is Ji You, they feel uncertain.

(End of this chapter)