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Chapter 323 Disaster Comes
Southeast of Qingzhou, on the Moon Soul Plateau.

Amidst the surging yellow sand, countless figures collided fiercely in the sky.

In that instant, magic spells, celestial light, and magical artifacts all exploded into countless sparks, falling from the sky with a whooshing sound.

Then, a beam of celestial light shot into the sky and crashed down, instantly piercing through a treasure ship carrying the Shang family's sons, before finally slamming into the ground with a loud bang.

The merchant's son who fell with the ship was not seriously injured. He immediately rose into the air from the dusty ground and headed towards the towering ruins.

The ruins of Broken Soul Mountain contain very few fruits, and some are even shriveled, lacking much Heavenly Dao power.

Therefore, the Moon Soul Plateau is of utmost importance to the Dao Seeking Sect.

They were extremely eager to capture the ruins, and repeatedly sent small teams from the back mountain in an attempt to sneak into the ruins. Once discovered, the standoff would naturally turn into a fierce battle in an instant.

The Chen Immortal Clan suddenly realized that the merchants of the Dao Seeking Sect had never intended to share the immortal destiny.

At this moment, an old figure appeared on the Loess Plateau.

He was dressed in yellow brocade robes and held a broad-bladed iron knife in his hand, making him inconspicuous in the dusty environment.

However, as his footsteps continued to leave deep pits in the ground, boundless immortal light began to surround him.

Then the blade suddenly turned, and the buzzing sound that filled the air instantly made the surrounding area tremble.

"boom!!!!"

The iron blade descended fiercely, instantly carving a hundred-mile-long ravine across the plateau. The merchants' disciples charging ahead were reduced to countless limbs and broken bones by the fierce blade energy, and blood mist erupted into the sky.

This earth-shattering strike instantly disrupted the Dao Asking Sect's attempt to forcefully open the ruins. The remaining disciples unleashed their spiritual energy to fiercely resist the scattered sword energy.

But before he could catch his breath, the old man in yellow turned the blade over again.

After another buzzing sound, the fierce blade energy crashed down once more.

But in that instant, dozens of figures appeared from the distant sky. The leader lightly flicked his long sword, and his powerful magic broke through the hundred-foot-high earth wave that was coming towards him, directly pressing down on the iron blade.

"Suichang old dog!"

Under the sword energy, Shang Xingkong, the vice sect leader of the Dao Seeking Sect, roared: "Half of the Moon Soul Plateau is within the territory of my Yuzhou. Do you really think that these ruins are exclusively your Chen Clan's property?"

Chen Suichang, the patriarch of the Chen Clan who had been in seclusion for many years, sneered: "You think the foot of a mountain counts as part of your Yuzhou territory? Stop spouting nonsense here. Your Daoist Sect is just an empty shell, and you're just resentful. But have you ever considered that this might be the choice of Heaven?"

"Old dog, what do you mean by this?"

"What I mean is that Heaven wants you, the Daoist Sect, to understand that your fortune has run out and you cannot compete for this immortal destiny."

As soon as Chen Suichang finished speaking, dozens of people dressed similarly to him appeared behind him, all with white hair and holding iron knives to greet him.

Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, under the southwestern sky...

A beam of light suddenly descended, blasting all the cultivators who were approaching the ruins into a cloud of blood mist.

The two exchanged a glance, their gazes instantly turning fierce as they fixed on the old man in the embroidered black robe not far away.

"Huo Rong, you old dog, it's been so many years, and you're still not dead?"

"Thanks to you, I am still alive."

Chen Suichang gritted his teeth: "If it's the Dao Seeking Sect, that's one thing, but what reason does your Mountain and Sea Pavilion have to come here?"

Huo Rong raised the corners of his mouth: "Back then, the Zheng family demon was from your Chen family immortal clan, causing countless deaths and injuries to my disciples in the Qiling disaster. How can we allow you to approach the ruins again? Since our two sects are adjacent, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion naturally has the responsibility to look after your Chen family on behalf of the world."

“Grand and imposing…”

"boom!!!!"

Amidst the deafening roar, the explosive blast shook the surrounding area.

Amidst the swirling sand and dust, the sword energy suddenly soared into the air, colliding violently with the descending magic, causing a surge of turbulent waves.

Shang Xijie, the third young master of the Dao Asking Sect, stood on a hill not far away, watching this scene with slightly cold eyes: "The Chen Clan said they wanted to sit down and talk with my Dao Asking Sect, but they secretly sent so many Divine Travel Realm cultivators here. Fortunately, we were prepared and did not fall into their trap."

Upon seeing this, the elder protecting the sect spoke in a deep voice: "I just didn't expect the Mountain and Sea Pavilion to make a move as well..."

Just then, a disciple of the Dao Seeking Sect soared into the sky, stirring up a cloud of dust as he landed: "Third Brother, we've discovered traces of the second son of the Huo family in the southwest. He seems to be trying to take advantage of the chaos to enter the ruins."

Shang Xijie frowned, then immediately soared into the sky and sped off in the southwest direction.

His protectors and disciples surnamed Shang immediately followed, crossing half of the Loess Plateau and rushing into a dense forest containing a huge lake.

As he soared through the air, Shang Xijie's clothes danced wildly. Then, as he gathered his hands together, beams of blazing white light burst forth from mid-air, like the rising sun tearing through a dense forest, crashing down with a roar.

This is the Nine Heavens Killing Technique, a secret technique passed down through generations of the Dao Seeking Sect.

However, at the very moment when the trees were snapping and the forest was shattering, an arc of celestial light suddenly spread out in all directions, violently shattering the killing intent of the heavens.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Huo Xingyun was panting heavily, with a powerful spiritual aura still lingering between his raised palms.

"Shang Xijie".

"Brother Xingyun, how have you been?"

Huo Xingyun gasped for breath, then suddenly sprang up, gathering thunderclouds in his hand, and instantly pressed down hard on Shang Xijie.

Shang Xiyao seemed to have been prepared, and immediately waved his hand to grasp the killing intent that was condensed in the sky light, colliding with it.

"Shang Xijie, your elder brother has taken over the reins, hasn't he?"

"What's the point of saying all this!"

Huo Xingyun waved his hand, shattering the immortal light that was filled with killing intent. He then pressed down with a thunderous roar and said, "When we first met at the Immortal Sect's banquet, even though we were young, I could tell at a glance that you and I were the same kind of people."

Shang Xijie retreated, then shattered the ground with his feet and charged back with the light of the heavens.

As the intense lightning energy and killing intent collided, the formidable combat power emanating from the Yingtian Realm sent the two flying hundreds of feet away.

"Brother Xijie, do you perhaps think that what I said is wrong?"

Shang Xijie looked up at him: "I'd really like to know, what kind of person am I in your eyes?"

Huo Xingyun opened his mouth slightly: "He is exceptionally talented, but he is unwilling to accept it."

"I'm really sorry, Brother Xingyun, for misunderstanding."

Shang Xijie was horrified and flipped his palm, unleashing the Nine Heavens Killing Technique once more.

Upon seeing this, Huo Xingyun immediately formed a hand seal, and his entire body emitted a roaring immortal light that soared into the sky, forming a square of ethereal light.

Mountain and sea seal.

"boom!!!"

The two figures collided again. Huo Xingyun used a great seal technique to shake off the howling killing intent and then roared, "You should know that in the past thousand years, those who have taken over the sacred artifacts in Qingyun have not been limited to the eldest sons. It's just that they were born earlier, which gave them an advantage over us. But now it's different!"

As Shang Xijie's blood boiled, he looked at him coldly: "What's different?"

“One person’s strength cannot withstand the will of the Immortal Sect, but now that you have the Dao Fruit, this is the authority. When you and your fellow Daoists have the ability to shake the Immortal Sect, I think the sect leader of the Dao Seeking Sect will definitely change his mind.”

"You want to cooperate with me?"

Huo Xingyun turned to look at the ruins: "Everything is right before my eyes."

Shang Xijie narrowed his eyes slightly: "Let's put cooperation aside for now. I've heard that the Sect Master of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion entrusted you with the matter of the ruins. But you brought people here to compete for the Moon Soul Ruins. Have you ever thought about what will happen to your backyard?"

Huo Xingyun's face instantly turned cold: "Brother Xijie, what do you mean by this?"

"The Chen Immortal Clan released news of peace talks, seemingly wanting to share the Moon Soul Ruins with my Dao Asking Sect. However, they have arranged for members of the sect's Divine Travel Realm to ambush here. I think they are not delaying my Dao Asking Sect's time. If I am not mistaken, someone from the Chen Immortal Clan has already entered Broken Soul Mountain."

"You can't sway my mind. I'm determined to have the Moon Soul Ruins. You either join forces with me, or we'll see who wins!"

The massive seal of mountains and seas, descending from the sky, crashed down with a deafening roar.

Unexpectedly, Shang Xijie did not rush forward to confront him as before. Instead, he gracefully turned around to dodge the powerful attack and stared at Huo Xingyun with fiery eyes.

Perhaps because of their similar backgrounds, circumstances, and situations, Shang Xijie, though he wouldn't admit it, had to admit that Huo Xingyun's earlier words were extremely accurate.

He was indeed resentful, and just as ambitious as he was.

However, it's not that having the same mindset is enough to become allies. After all, this is a matter of life and death, and for cooperation to happen, the other party's will must be firm.

Just now, Huo Xingyun's will seemed quite firm.

High above, Qi Zhengyang looked down from the wind and saw that amidst the ongoing melee, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Dao Seeking Sect suddenly joined forces and pressed down on the Chen Clan Immortal Clan.

Upon seeing this, he stroked his long beard and then swiftly returned to the mountain amidst the whistling of sword energy.

"The Mountain and Sea Pavilion has formed an alliance with the Dao Seeking Sect?"

"good."

Upon hearing Elder Qi's guess, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were quite surprised and couldn't help but turn around to look at their appraiser.

Yan Shuyi wasn't that surprised, because Ji You had written to her earlier about Shang Xijie and Huo Xingyun, so she wasn't surprised to learn of their alliance.

Throughout history, the power shifts within immortal sects have always been accompanied by such open and covert struggles.

It seems that the ruins of the Moon Soul Plateau will be opened by the Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Dao Seeking Sect together, and perhaps a struggle for the throne will develop within the sects.

Thinking of this, the young appraiser couldn't help but recall Chu Xian, the personal disciple of Xuan Yuan.

The Xuan Yuan Sect Leader also revealed at the Immortal Tour Gathering that he intended to pass on the sacred artifact to his son. It is unknown whether Chu Xian is willing to do so, or whether he will take action based on the matter of the Dao Fruit.

But after thinking about it carefully, the appraiser couldn't help but shake his head.

Unlike Shang Xishun and Huo Xingyun, Chu Xian was not of the Immortal Sect bloodline, but was a person from another clan.

As far as the sect leader is concerned, whether the sacred artifact is passed down to the eldest son or the second son, the power will ultimately be passed down with the bloodline, and they will not interfere too much.

However, if an outsider were to try and get his hands on the sacred artifact, he would probably be killed the moment he even had the slightest thought.

As fellow disciples of the Immortal Sect, Yan Shu had also had several encounters with Chu Xian and knew that this man was exceptionally intelligent and extremely shrewd, and would definitely be able to see through this fact.

Moreover, their Chu family was nearly slaughtered back then for defying the Immortal Sect, so they should be more clear-headed than anyone else when it comes to such matters.

"Young Master Chu has arrived."

"Thank you."

Ji You jumped off the carriage, and after five days of flying and traveling by carriage, they finally arrived in Chu City.

This is the Chu family's training ground, and also the largest city in Youzhou, its scale surpassing even that of the former royal Li family.

The entire city is arranged in a ring shape, which looks similar to that of the demon race. It is also divided into an inner city and an outer city.

The inner city is inhabited by eight branches of the Chu family, with the main branch of the Chu family being the most central.

As for the outer city, it was mostly inhabited by relatives and friends of the Chu family, as well as people who had dispersed from the eight major branches over the past thousand years.

Ji You chose the Chu family as her first choice among the remaining three families: Du, Bai, and Chu. The reason was that the Chu family had a close relationship with the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, and many of the vanished immortal manors in Fengzhou relied on the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion.

He paid the driver a tip and walked along the road to the inner city, only to find that the inner city was heavily guarded and, like other aristocratic families, was protected by a large array, making it impossible to enter.

Moreover, since the entire city was connected to the Chu family, the sudden appearance of an outsider would be very conspicuous. As a result, Ji You was targeted not long after he left the city.

A figure dressed like a guard stepped forward: "Young master, you look unfamiliar. May I ask what brings you here?"

"travel."

"?"

"I've long heard of the Chu family's renowned reputation. I'm just passing through and have come here for a visit." "This place belongs to the Chu family. If you don't have an invitation, please don't linger."

"..."

The Chu family's inner city was protected by a powerful array, while the outer city was monitored by spies. The level of security was comparable to that of a celestial sect. He stayed in the city for many days but failed to find an opportunity to get close. He could only carefully observe the news around him and the discussions in the city.

Three days later at noon, the weather was slightly gloomy. Ji You continued to wander around. As he walked, his eyes suddenly widened as he saw a familiar figure in the circular inner street.

He was a man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, wearing a blue long robe, his hair neatly combed, and he looked very heroic.

In fact, it wasn't Ji You who saw him first, but rather he who saw Ji You first, and then Ji You noticed him because of his gaze.

"Brother Fang?"

"Hey, Wulu, what are you doing here?"

On the inner street, the man stepped forward with some surprise.

This person was none other than Fang Ruoyao's elder brother, Fang Ruoming, who now works for the Zhenbei Army.

Upon hearing the question, Ji You cupped his hands in greeting: "I have some matters to attend to. I happened to be passing through Youzhou and was looking for a place to stay. What brings you here, Brother Fang?"

After hearing this, Fang Ruoming pointed to the direction of a high mountain in the distance: "The barbarians have been making frequent moves these past few days, and they seem to be preparing to launch an attack. There just happened to be a crack in a section of the city wall in the northwest of Youzhou. I led a team to escort the repair craftsmen here, and we stopped by this place to take a look."

"Brother Fang, are you also interested in the Chu family?"

"After all, they are a prestigious family known as the eighth great immortal sect. Since we've come this far, we should naturally take a look."

After Fang Ruoming finished speaking, he looked at Ji You and asked, "How about it? Would you like to take a walk with your brother?"

Two years ago at the Heavenly Dao Conference, Ji You met Fang Ruoming for the first time and informed him that he had dissolved his engagement with Fang Ruoyao.

But he didn't know why Fang Ruoming was still very affectionate towards him and always addressed him as his elder brother.

However, since they were both from Yuyang County, and Fang Ruoming was indeed a few years older, it wasn't unreasonable for him to address Fang Ruoming as his elder brother.

As it happened, Ji You was currently aimlessly wandering around and couldn't find any valuable information, so she readily agreed.

It was just past noon when Fang Ruoming took him to a small shop in the city and ordered several dishes with practiced ease: "These are the shop's specialties, you should try them later."

Ji You glanced at him: "Brother Fang, isn't this your first time here?"

"To be honest, when I first joined the Zhenbei Army, I was responsible for guarding this section of the city wall in Youzhou. I've been here for quite a few years."

"I see."

Fang Ruoming handed the chopsticks to Ji You: "Have you been home lately?"

Ji You nodded: "I just went back for a while, but I left after a short time."

"As for me, I just arrived in Yuyang and received military orders after only a few days. I had to rush here with my troops. My sister hasn't been home for a long time, and I, as her brother, haven't been able to see her."

"Brother Fang, you've been away from home to join the army for quite some time now?"

Fang Ruoming nodded: "It should be ten years by now."

Ji You suddenly remembered something: "Back in the sacred site of the sages, did Brother Fang leave beforehand?"

"That's right, I was probably among the first to leave."

No wonder we didn't see each other when we left.

Fang Ruoming smiled and said, "I also wanted to wait for you, but you were in the center of the Holy Land, and I couldn't get in. I was afraid I would miss you again, so I thought there was plenty of time and there was no rush."

After a quick lunch, the two left the restaurant.

Subsequently, under Fang Ruoming's guidance, Ji You truly treated it like a tourist trip, following him to see many sights in the outer city.

For example, Jingbo Lake in the north of the city, and Lizhipo in the west of the city.

"The city of Chu has been established for a long time, more than a thousand years."

Fang Ruoming led Ji You around for a while, and finally returned to a shrine with upturned eaves in the main city. He pointed to the row of buildings in front of it and said, "There was no outer city before. Later, as the family grew, it slowly spread outwards."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Ji You and found that the other party did not react.

"what happened?"

Ji You pointed to the building behind them: "What is this place? An ancestral hall?"

Fang Ruoming chuckled after reading it: "Let's go in and take a look."

"Isn't anyone guarding it? I encountered many guards on my way here, and they didn't allow me to wander around."

"Those built in the outer city are generally not important places, but they are fine for visiting."

After Fang Ruoming finished speaking, he went inside first, and Ji You followed him in.

This is indeed an ancestral hall, and a very ornate one at that. There is a huge incense burner in the central courtyard, and further inside you can see the ancestral tablets of the Heavenly Way.

However, what is most attractive is the murals inside the ancestral hall.

In fact, the reason Ji You specifically asked where this place was was because the mural on the wall outside seemed to have a lot of content.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the painting was indeed rich in content.

The first painting you see upon entering is of an old man sitting on a meditation cushion, and it is painted very vividly.

However, in the second picture, the old man inexplicably appeared to have his belly cut open.

By the third picture, the old man was already lying in the coffin, surrounded by small figures with sorrowful expressions, prostrating themselves and weeping.

Then came a scene of a large house burning down, followed by many small figures being carried up a high mountain.
The last one is a complete map of Chu City.

Ji You scanned the murals one by one, her brow furrowing slightly: "What are these depicting?"

Fang Ruoming turned his gaze away from the wall: "The history of the Chu family."

"?"

"Back then, the Chu family's Seven Apertures Exquisite Body shook the world, and countless geniuses emerged in the family. The Immortal Sect was very curious about this, so after the death of the Chu family's ancestor, they dissected him and studied him for many years."

Ji You turned to look at Fang Ruoming: "What happens next?"

Fang Ruoming stroked his chin: "The rest of the story is about how they attached themselves to the Immortal Sect, rose higher and higher, and eventually established this city."

"After years of research following the dissection, what results have been obtained?"

"Probably not. If they really did find a result, wouldn't everyone in the world be incredibly intelligent?"

Ji You pointed to the painting depicting a house burning down: "I heard that the Chu family once opposed the Immortal Sect and was severely suppressed in the end. Is this the one?"

Fang Ruoming turned to look at the painting, then shook his head: "The painting is blurry and not clear. However, the Immortal Sect has always liked to whitewash the truth. Even if this really happened, they probably wouldn't be able to paint it completely."

"Judging from Brother Fang's tone, it seems that you also harbor deep resentment towards the Immortal Sect?"

"How can people from Fengzhou stand to look at such a deformed monster?"

Fang Ruoming chuckled: "Do you know that when Fengxian Manor was established in my Yuyang County, it killed countless people? My father was captured and forced to learn how to bark like a dog for half a month before he survived. And your Ji family was wiped out just because you said one wrong thing. It's all because of the so-called divine power."

Ji You was a time traveler who took over the identity of the original young master Ji. He didn't really feel the truth about the demise of the Ji family.

But in the current context, it is indeed regrettable.

The two walked and talked as they emerged from the ancestral hall.

Ji You subtly inquired about the situation in the inner city from Fang Ruoming, but Fang Ruoming said that he had not been there for a long time and did not know anything about the inner city.

Fang Ruoming's next words completely dispelled Ji You's idea of ​​taking the opportunity to enter.

"The magic array in the inner city of the Chu family was also made by a family of array masters back then, especially the main branch of the Chu family, which has two arrays guarding it. It is said that once you come, you will never return."

"How did you find out about this, Brother Fang?"

"The families specializing in array formations have been wiped out. Without the guidance of array masters, the repair of the northern city walls can only be done by referring to these protective arrays."

Fang Ruoming couldn't help but sigh softly after saying this: "Speaking of which, these families specializing in formations seem to be in a worse situation than us rural farmers or the Chu family. In the end, they were unable to leave any bloodline behind."

As they talked, Ji You followed Fang Ruoming out of the main city avenue. At this time, a small squad of the Zhenbei Army was already waiting outside the city on tall horses.

After mounting his horse, Fang Ruoming looked at Ji You and said, "I have military orders to follow and dare not delay. Farewell."

"I wish you a safe journey, Brother Fang."

"If one day the world is at peace, please give me a piece of land and teach me to do all sorts of things."

After hearing this, Ji You bowed and watched them leave, then turned to look at Chu City.

He went around in circles, failing to enter any of the target families and finding no results.

The only thing that is known is that, compared to other aristocratic families, the fact that these families defended themselves so tightly must have something to do with it.

Now, the only families whose records can be verified are the Du and Bai families.

But thinking about it, it's obvious that these two families, like the Liu, Li, and Chu families, don't allow outsiders to enter.

However, the Bai family is an exception.

The eldest son of the Bai family is named Bai Rulong, and he most likely has access to the Bai family...

Ji You pondered for a while and felt that there was no time to lose, so he hired a carriage in the city and headed towards the Bai family's location.

Bai Rulong's cultivation was not steadfast, and he focused all his attention on dual cultivation. Now that his five-year term is up, he will have to leave the academy like Lu Qingqiu and the others.

According to Cao Jingsong, the kid actually went home as soon as spring arrived.

According to him, staying in the Immortal Sect wouldn't make any progress for him, so he might as well go home.

On the bumpy carriage, Ji You breathed heavily as she wrote a letter to Bai Rulong with pen and paper.

If the Bai family's defenses were also tight, he certainly wouldn't be able to enter immediately, and would have to send a letter to notify them to come out and meet.

However, as he was writing, the carriage he was riding in suddenly stopped, and the horses pulling the carriage immediately let out a terrified neigh.

Why did you suddenly stop?

"Young...Young Master, something has happened..."

"?"

Ji You lifted the carriage curtain and peeked out. As soon as she appeared, she felt a strong smell of blood in the wind, and her brows furrowed instantly.

The coachman then shakily stretched out his hand and pointed towards the sky.

In the distance, a dark wave surged and churned, spreading in all directions.

Because it was too far away, I couldn't see what it was clearly for the time being; it just looked like a cloud.

The problem is that clouds are formed and only move with the wind; their interiors do not move, which is very different from this wave.

Upon seeing this, a golden light instantly appeared in Ji You's eyes, and he saw countless evil creatures rushing towards him.

At the same time, countless limbs and remains suddenly appeared in the ruins of the Moon Soul Plateau, the Broken Soul Mountain, the Great Wilderness Forest, and other ruins that had been opened by the Immortal Sect. Meanwhile, a horde of evil creatures surged outward from the deepest part of the ruins, blotting out the sky.

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(End of this chapter)