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Chapter 325 The Strange Tales of the Bai Family
A bloody wind howled across the shattered earth, the shrieks of the evil creatures rose and fell, and there was a cacophony of sounds everywhere.

However, on the only remaining section of the eastern city wall of Lin Yuan City that had not collapsed, the atmosphere suddenly became silent as Ji Youhu asked a question out of the blue.

A few breaths later, the Dragon Immortal Emperor opened his mouth, clearly flustered, and asked, "I don't have any secrets, what are you referring to, Brother Ji?"

"I'm asking you a question, why are you asking me?"

"Because I don't know what secret Brother Ji is asking about, is it about a Daoist partner, or my blind date..."

Ji You saw the probing look in Bai Rulong's eyes and knew he was testing the waters, so she said softly, "I mean you were clearly locked up, not hiding. Why did you lie to me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Rulong's eyes trembled instantly.

However, the next moment, he hurriedly denied it: "I don't know what Brother Ji is talking about, but I did hide inside."

Ji You said "Oh," and then asked, "What about the pots and pans in the corner?"

"What pots and pans...?"

"There are still some leftovers in the pots and pans in that secret room, and they're not very fresh anymore. This means you've been in there for more than a day, but several days. But the problem is that the zombie horde only broke out today. Could it be that you had some kind of premonition and hid in advance?"

Bai Rulong was speechless, opening his mouth but suddenly not knowing how to respond.

Ji You did notice the pots and pans in the corner as soon as he entered the secret room, and at that moment he suspected that Bai Rulong was lying to him.

Cultivators can abstain from food, and with Bai Rulong's cultivation level, it wouldn't be a problem for him to persist for three to five days.

Since the evil seed hadn't arrived, there was no reason for him to hide underground beforehand.

If he hid here today, there shouldn't be so much leftover food.

Ji You had carefully considered these questions before finally asking them.

However, Bai Rulong remained tight-lipped, and after a moment of silence, he still insisted on his previous statement: "I hid there on my own. That's my own home, how could I be locked up..."

"After I went in, I asked you why you were there, and you said you hid inside because you were scared?"

"With so many evil species, of course I'm afraid..."

"No, do you remember when you came up here, you subconsciously asked me why there were so many evil seeds?"

Ji You turned to look at him: "I suspect you didn't know the zombie horde was coming at all. So it makes sense whether you were imprisoned or you hid in there beforehand, because what you're afraid of isn't the evil species. But you yourself said that it's your home. What are you afraid of in your own home?"

After posing the simple question, Bai Rulong fell silent once again.

The leftovers are real. If he insists that he hid them himself, then he needs to explain why he did it so far in advance.

If he admits to being imprisoned, then he must have seen the Bai family when they left.

According to Ji You's deduction, if Bai Rulong was indeed imprisoned, he must have known what his father was going to do, and perhaps he was imprisoned underground because he resisted.

If he is hiding, then what he fears is even more worthy of investigation.

In any case, Bai Rulong, as the eldest son of the Bai family and especially as the only bloodline after his younger brother Bai Sihou's death, must know something that others do not.

Ji You turned her gaze to the distance: "I didn't ask down there, actually, just to bring you here to see these things first. There's an old saying in Qingyun: 'The higher you stand, the farther you can see.' I wanted you to see what kind of mess they've made of this world."

Bai Rulong involuntarily pursed his lips, but instead of refuting as before, he remained silent.

Because he knew that the timing really didn't match up.

Therefore, whether it's hiding or imprisonment, it's riddled with loopholes.

Just then, Ji You reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, handing it to him.

Bai Rulong's expression immediately became somewhat confused, but he still reached out and took it, pondered for a moment, and then unfolded it amidst the stench.

How is Emperor Rulong doing lately? I was passing through Lin Yuan City today and thought of you, whom I haven't seen for many days. I miss you very much.

I've been traveling the world for half a year and have met two girls with full, rounded hips. Brother Rulong, would you be interested in meeting them?

After reading it, Bai Rulong looked up and asked, "Did you deliberately lure me out to see you?"

“That’s right. Before I met you, I had already found out that your Bai family had problems. Your family has a lot to do with the appearance of evil corpses in recent years. In fact, I now suspect that everything we are facing now is also caused by your family.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Rulong pursed his lips, but at almost the same moment, Ji You heard a sharp roar coming from the front.

Not far away, the evil creatures, already sensing human presence in the wind, were rushing towards them in a frenzy.

Looking down from above, it's as if sentient waves are surging and trying to engulf them.

Ji You's expression changed instantly, and the long sword in his hand emitted a clear, long sound.

As the Dragon Immortal Emperor was in a daze, he suddenly felt himself being grabbed by the neck, and two figures roared northward in a direction parallel to the front of the zombie horde.

The rope tied around their waists had not been broken and was still entangled between them.

As they ran, the horde of zombies continued to gather, and the two of them continued to act as before, one drawing the opponent's attention while the other drew his sword.

During this process, neither of them uttered another word.

Ji You could actually understand Bai Rulong's withdrawn mentality.

The Bai family was, after all, his family. Although his father had always openly favored his younger brother and treated him badly because of his stepmother, he was still his father no matter what.

In the Qingyun Tianxia succession model, countless scions of noble families grow up watching their fathers' tall figures.

Therefore, for the current Immortal Emperor Rulong, revealing what he knows would give him a strong sense of betrayal.

But this also shows that what he knew was indeed fatal.

From south to north, Ji You and Bai Rulong traveled continuously, surviving three small-scale zombie hordes. During the journey, they also encountered a group of immortal sect members who were also seeking refuge.

There were people from Lingjian Mountain, Tianshu Academy, and some disciples of the Chen Clan, about thirty or forty in total.

These immortal sect members possessed exceptional judgment and, upon witnessing the magnificent sword energy tearing a massive gap in the horde of corpses, they decisively decided to follow them.

Thus, in just over ten miles, Ji You had already hitched a ride several times.

This costs money...

High above, Ji You, who had carved a bloody path through the horde of corpses with Xiao Chongshan, couldn't help but mutter to himself.

However, with danger lurking everywhere, it's not a good time to charge them, so he plans to wait until he returns to Shengjing before making them reveal their entire fortune.

It's unclear whether these people from Lingjian Mountain are from Xuanjian Peak or Tianjian Peak. If they are from Xuanjian Peak, I'll be more accommodating and offer a 50% discount. As for the Chen Clan and Tianshu Academy, the price will be the original price...

At dusk, the magnificent sunset clouds were breathtaking, but the horde of corpses below them was far more impressive.

After fleeing and running all the way, Ji You and the others crossed another large-scale zombie horde and finally arrived in a mountainous area.

The evil species are driven by people and deliberately attack powerful families in various places. Therefore, there are not so many evil species causing trouble in remote and impoverished areas, which are suitable for resting and recuperating in secluded corners.

Whoosh——

Whoosh——

As night gradually fell and the world plunged into darkness, Bai Rulong sat atop a low hill, his breathing gradually becoming even.

While it's true that the evil species' main objective is to attack aristocratic families, their actions are entirely driven by the presence of people they can detect along the way, so some villages closer to the city were affected in a short time.

At this moment, at the foot of the mountain right in front of him, several villages in a row had been destroyed by the evil species, with limbs and remains scattered everywhere, so much so that the small river that ran through these villages was stained pink.

The bloody water continued to flow along the river, and dismembered limbs would occasionally appear on the surface and float downstream.

After staring blankly for a long time, Emperor Rulong got up and walked towards the dense forest on the mountainside.

Because the surrounding area was ravaged by a frenzy of evil creatures, they dared not light a campfire.

At this moment, dozens of immortal sect members walked along the mountainside of the low mountain and sat in a circle to regulate their breathing, while Ji You sat quietly on the west side of the dense forest not far away.

He had kept some things a secret for a long time, and even he himself felt depressed, suffering from nightmares every day and finding it difficult to save himself.

So when Ji You asked him, besides feeling nervous and apprehensive, he felt mostly a sense of lightness.

He also knew that Ji You didn't ask any more questions because he wanted to see things clearly and understand them.

After hesitating for a while, Bai Rulong clenched his sleeves and then walked towards Ji You. Ji You seemed to sense this and looked up at him.

After their eyes met for a long time, Bai Rulong gently opened his mouth.

"Do you remember when I went home during the Heavenly Dao Society, I didn't return for a long time. When I came back, I said that my younger brother Bai Sihu and my stepmother had disappeared?"

"?"

Bai Rulong slowly sat down next to the withered tree stump: "Actually, Bai Sihu didn't disappear; he turned into a monster."

Ji You's eyes instantly turned serious: "What exactly happened?"

"The story begins more than two years ago."

Bai Rulong looked at the thick darkness above him and slowly spoke.

More than two years ago, on the eve of the Heavenly Dao Society, he returned home to visit his family and unexpectedly heard that Bai Sihou and his second aunt had disappeared.

But two grown people can't just disappear like that, so he started asking around and searching. But he found that his family was acting strangely; instead of caring about the missing mistress and young master, they were actually trying to persuade him to stop looking.

And his father, who had clearly lost his wife and children, kept claiming to be in seclusion when he sought an audience and never came out to see him.

Ji You later learned what happened. He arrived late to the Heavenly Dao Assembly, and the Bai family used this incident as an excuse for not appearing at the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

Ji You couldn't help but look at Bai Rulong: "Two living people have disappeared, don't you plan to look for them anymore?"

“My second aunt has never treated me well since I was a child. Bai Sihou has always acted arrogantly because of my father’s favor. I didn’t want to put in much effort. My uncle also advised me that since Bai Sihou is gone, the huge Bai family will definitely be mine in the future, so I should put in less effort.”

"That's really the style of an aristocratic family."

Marriage between prominent families naturally involves the succession of power; Bai Rulong and Bai Sihou respectively represent their mothers' families.

Such infighting will affect the closeness or distance between the next generation of aristocratic families.

After Bai Sihou disappeared, the right of inheritance naturally fell to Bai Rulong, which was naturally welcomed by the powerful family behind Bai Rulong's mother.

"Then you said Bai Sihu turned into a monster, how exactly did that happen?"

"That was when I went home from Xinyuan. I hadn't been home for more than a year. When I went back, I felt that the atmosphere at home was very strange. It was gloomy everywhere, and there seemed to be a strange smell in the air, like the smell of decay."

Bai Rulong pursed his lips: "The most crucial thing is that several cousins ​​from the branch of the family have also disappeared. My uncles and elders said they went out to cultivate. I didn't pay attention at the time, but I always hear strange noises at night."

Ji You looked at him: "What was that sound?"

"A sound of panting and scratching, which gives one nightmares."

Bai Rulong swallowed hard: "One night I finally couldn't hold back anymore and followed the sound. I saw a black ghost in my backyard panting heavily."

Ji You narrowed her eyes after hearing this: "White as a tiger?"

"Yes, but I didn't know it was him at first. I just thought a monster had come to the house, so I reported it to the family. After that, I never heard that noise again."

"But after returning to the Heavenly Academy, I always felt uneasy, so I went back again halfway through."

"This time I saw it clearly. The monster was covered in bloated flesh and blood. It was lying on top of one of my uncles. It seemed like there was some kind of energy on my uncle's body, which the monster kept sucking into its mouth."

“When Second Sister married into the family, my mother was still alive. My mother was a kind person. When Second Sister gave birth, she was not jealous. Instead, she took out a pair of jade pendants, gave one to me and the other to Bai Sihu.”

"That jade pendant is quite valuable and has the effect of nourishing the meridians, so even though Second Aunt's family is hostile to us, Bai Sihu always carries that jade pendant with him."

"That night, I saw the jade pendant on the monster."

"Then my uncle was drained, but his body began to explode, his shadow grew very long, and sharp nails kept extending from his hands. Finally, he stood up alive in the backyard."

"I dared not think about it too much, so I could only pretend I didn't know. Every day I lived in fear and trembling, as if walking on thin ice, feeling that it was all just a nightmare..."

Hearing this, Ji You still had many questions, but she already knew the answer to one thing.

Li Ruilin, Tan Chen, and the others suddenly became evil beings, probably similar to the situation of the uncle Bai Rulong mentioned.

Therefore, after Li Ruilin disappeared, no one in the Li family inquired about him. Only Huang Yueniang was looking for him, because the Li family knew why they had disappeared.

Cultivators admire ascension and crave longevity, so in the Dongping Mountains, countless elders on their deathbeds felt it didn't matter if they turned into evil beings.

The problem is that, based on Bai Rulong's description, Ji You is certain that Bai Sihu no longer had any self-awareness at that time. How can he accept such an outcome?

Bai Rulong then looked at Ji You and said, "Brother Ji, do you feel that everything seems to have been done by Father for Bai Sihu's sake?"

Ji You looked up at him: "Could it be not?"

"I thought so at first, but after the Spring Equinox, Bai Sihou disappeared. There was no more scratching and roaring in the Bai family's nights. But not long after, my father began to break through his cultivation level. He made rapid progress in a short period of time. When I last saw him, he had already reached the realm of spiritual travel."

"What was your father's cultivation level before?"

"It took him ten years to barely cross the minor realm of the middle realm after reaching the initial stage of the Yingtian realm, and he has never broken through the realm since."

"Are you trying to say that your father's continuous breakthroughs are related to Bai Sihu?"

Bai Rulong stared ahead: "I don't know, because I was caught by my family soon after, and I didn't have a chance to investigate."

After hearing this, Ji You suddenly realized: "So you didn't write a letter before you went home. You ran away and witnessed this scene that was not covered up."

"That's right. I sensed something was wrong the first time I saw that monster. It wasn't the monster that was wrong, it was my whole family. So I did go back to the Heavenly Academy first, and then secretly ran home."

"Besides your father, where are the rest of the main branch of your Bai family?"

"Just as Brother Ji thought, they are also getting stronger, and some of my cousins ​​are disappearing one after another."

"and after."

Bai Rulong pursed his dry lips: "Then they left, and I was locked in a secret room. If Brother Ji hadn't come, I might have died in the zombie horde. I don't understand. There's an old saying that even a tiger won't eat its cubs."

Ji You's eyes narrowed: "When your father left with his men, did he tell you where he was going?"

“No, he only told me that it was all for the honor of the family.”

"Family honor..."

After listening to Bai Rulong's story, Ji You sat on the low hill and fell into thought.

The Chu, Bai, and Du families have already conducted in-depth research on the immortal opportunities within the ruins, and the Zheng family should be in league with them.

Regardless of the relationship between Bai Sihou's role and the Bai family head's increased cultivation level, they can be pieced together later.

These aristocratic families have gone to great lengths to continuously enhance their cultivation, extend their lifespan, and ascend to the pinnacle of the Dao by relying on the ruins.

But one day, they suddenly discovered that the fruits in the ruins could be taken out, and that the immortal opportunities they relied on had been quickly seized and distributed by the immortal sects.

So they hid in advance, released evil seeds to wreak havoc on the world, and while overturning tables to wipe away traces, they wanted to fight for a future for themselves.

Because, apart from the barren Feng Province, the other eight provinces in the Nine Provinces have a strong system of checks and balances.

No matter how large or small a family is, it is all a link in this network of relationships, and a change in one part can affect the whole.

However, with the sudden outbreak of the evil seed, countless cultivation families were destroyed, and the Nine Provinces were thus cleansed. They were indeed able to get a bigger and sweeter slice of the pie afterward.

Furthermore, with the foundations of some powerful families being broken, it wouldn't be surprising if a powerful family were to directly rule an entire state in the future.

Just like the Bai family patriarch who has reached the Divine Travel Realm, such a level of attainment would be considered a great power even in the Immortal Sect, and he would surely dominate the world.

Based on the information currently available, Ji You can only deduce this much. Although some aspects are still shrouded in mystery, this is probably the most reasonable speculation.

But whether it's right or wrong, at least one thing is certain.

These ruthless killers deserve not to get what they want.

Upon thinking of this, Ji You's mind conjured up images of the dead infants, Li Ruilin who had transformed into an evil seed, and countless severed limbs and remains beneath the horde of corpses.

If such a person were to seize power, how could the common people possibly survive?

However, Ji You couldn't handle it on his own, so the best course of action was to report it to the Immortal Sect.

For the other six major immortal sects besides the Dan Sect, the ruins are equivalent to their private property, and they cannot allow others to touch them.

Moreover, the fact that it has brought out so many evil species will likely fuel their anger.

Using the enemy's strength to devour the enemy's weakness is currently the only viable method.

Ji You stood up and then, to Bai Rulong's astonishment, retied the rope around his neck.

"Brother Ji, I'm already in a terrible state..."

"If we don't do it this way, we'll both die a much worse death."

Ji You grabbed Bai Rulong by the collar and, with rising sword energy, hurtled towards the northwest.

Upon seeing this scene, the immortal sect members who were resting instantly felt a chill run down their spines.

In fact, they did not rest in the dense forest for long; they had not even recovered a third of their spiritual energy.

But they were just hitchhiking, so they had no right to ask Ji You to wait for them. And once they left Ji You, they felt they were doomed, so they could only get up and continue following.

As they watched the magnificent sword energy illuminate the night once more, a sense of unease flickered in their eyes.

This palpitation wasn't due to the number of evil seeds, but rather because Ji You's blood and qi were surging, driving him to continuously wield his sword with a scorching aura, just like a tireless monster.

You have to understand, he just came all the way by slashing and hacking, swinging his sword and flying through the air, while carrying a person in his hand. How much spiritual energy and how strong his body must be?
They were from a celestial sect and had seen countless cultivators, but they had never seen anyone like this before.

This kind of shock can no longer be viewed simply from the perspective of spiritual realm.

However, even with such a powerful ride, these immortal sect members gradually began to feel despair.

Because they were not far from Shengjing at this time, as the largest city of the human race, it had a large population and naturally the most evil species.

As they began to vaguely see the outline of the city, the dense swarms of evil creatures appeared clearly ahead of them, resembling a colossal wave from afar, making it difficult to breathe just by looking at them.

However, just as they were worried about being overwhelmed, they suddenly saw countless swords rise from behind that figure soaring through the air, magnificent, vast, and stretching as far as the eye could see, their clear sword cries echoing incessantly in the night sky.

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(End of this chapter)