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Chapter 326 Returning with Sword

The arrival of the evil seed caught everyone off guard, and in an instant, it plunged the Nine Provinces into chaos.

Numerous immortal sects and families crumbled in the clash, and countless cultivators who had wasted their time perished in the howling tide of corpses.

Only a few members of prominent families who reacted in advance managed to find a glimmer of hope and barely survive while running around trying to stay alive.

Asking Mountain in Yuzhou, Huangyun Mountain in Qingzhou, Lingjian Mountain in Lingzhou, Five-Color Cliff in Youzhou, and Xuanyuan Mountain at the border of Yunzhou and Youzhou.

Among the several Daoist temples that govern the entire Qingyun world, countless ancestral deities stood suspended in the void, overlooking the devastated land of the Nine Provinces, their deep eyes seemingly containing an endless profound sea.

Without a doubt, this is a momentous change.

What needs to be clarified now is where the change came from.

The sect leader of the Daoist Path held two crimson jade balls in his hands and turned to look at the Daoist priests serving behind him.

"Send a message to the Heavenly Academy and ask them to deduce the secrets of heaven."

"Yes."

The attendant immediately bowed and accepted the order, then floated down the mountain amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

Soon, the five hall masters of the Heavenly Academy received a message: five golden edicts descended from the sky before them. Although the wording was different, the purpose was the same: to learn about the celestial secrets.

At this moment, the five palace masters were on the cliff of Yunwu Mountain, and their brows furrowed after seeing the message.

As one of the seven great immortal sects, the Heavenly Academy, which holds the title of the Great Xia Holy Sect, has always been renowned for its divination techniques, capable of calculating the world and understanding both ancient and modern times.

However, the Heavenly Secrets Technique is difficult to master, and so far only You Yingqiu has comprehended it.

After the zombie outbreak, they immediately protected her and performed divination, which has just concluded.

However, during the deduction process, all they could see was a vast, dark expanse, without any divine revelation.

In other words, what they are deducing has already touched upon the Dao of Heaven.

While the art of divination is indeed profound and unfathomable, human beings can only deduce the workings of all living beings, let alone the Way of Heaven itself.

Zuo Qiuyang stood with his back to the sea of ​​clouds, looking at his four junior brothers and sisters: "Sometimes the absence of enlightenment may also be a kind of enlightenment. This disaster may be a calamity."

Chai Hu stared at him for a long time: "Are you saying that my human race has angered the heavens?"

“The major immortal sects should be well aware of what they have done that violated the laws of Heaven.”

"Senior brother, are you referring to the ruins?"

Zuo Qiuyang looked at Chaihu: "Naturally, it's there."

Upon hearing this, Lü Fengxian couldn't help but chime in: "The five of us, your fellow disciples and I, have all studied the Dao Fruits within those ruins. They contain the power of the Heavenly Dao, so how can it be said to be contrary to the Heavenly Dao?"

What do you think, junior sister?

Zuo Qiuyang turned to look at You Yingqiu, only to see that she remained silent, waving her hand as she drew divine talismans.

As dusk fell, a golden light flickered, and a huge talisman condensed in the void, spreading in all directions.

Upon receiving the feedback, countless powerful figures from the immortal sects fell silent, then turned their gazes to the four cardinal directions, to the ruins surrounded by evil spirits.

A thousand years ago, the ancient race marched against the Heavenly Dao, and one of the emperors used great magic to imprison the heavens, attempting to take their place.

Then Heaven sent down a sacred artifact, granting the human race great magical power, annihilating the remnant race, and restoring humanity. After that, everything about the remnant race was regarded by Heaven as something that needed to be destroyed.

For example, the cultivation techniques passed down by the remnant clans and the divine artifacts they used were all reduced to dust under the might of heaven, and were no longer tolerated by the laws of heaven and earth.

Therefore, everyone knows in their hearts that relics should also be considered a kind of relic.

During this period, all the major immortal sects were opening up the ruins to seize immortal opportunities. Perhaps it was because of this that they angered the Heavenly Dao, which led to the imminent calamity that was sent down to warn them not to overstep their bounds.

This seems to echo the old saying: those who follow the will of Heaven prosper, and those who defy it perish.

The solution proposed by the Heavenly Academy was to go and close the ruins, sealing them completely.

On Wendao Mountain, Huangyun Mountain, Lingjian Mountain, and Five-Colored Cliff, many powerful immortal sects remained silent after seeing this golden letter.

puff--

A beam of light shot down from the mountain, slicing a golden stele into a sky full of golden clouds. An elder from the Dao Asking Sect raised an eyebrow, uttered a nonsensical remark, and drifted away.

Not to mention that the current zombie horde is so vast that getting close to the ruins is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Just considering those extraordinary opportunities and celestial connections, these cultivators can't simply give them up.

Human greed is boundless. If one can live for a thousand years, why only live for a hundred? If one can travel in spirit, how can one be satisfied with nothing but boundless desires?

Besides, this is just a zombie horde. No matter how ferocious and brutal those dead bodies are, they are still just mindless corpses. How can they be considered a calamity?

"Let's ask the elders of the Elders' Hall to take action and lead the disciples to resist the zombie horde."

"Leave the places with the most evil corpses, such as Zhongzhou, Qingzhou, and Liangzhou, for now. First, ensure the safety of the areas north of Shengjing and guide the fleeing people to safety."

At the summit of Yunwu Mountain, Zuo Qiuyang rose from the sea of ​​clouds and departed, stepping forward to the enormous mountain bell at the foot of Tianshu Peak.

In fact, he had anticipated the outcome that the major immortal sects were unwilling to give up the immortal opportunities within the ruins before sending the message.

Cultivating immortality through human effort is too arduous. Many people spend their entire lives sitting in meditation and achieve little, only stopping before the Great Dao. Now that there is a shortcut to ascend to heaven in one step, how easy is it to make people give up?

Not to mention the five major immortal sects, even within their own Heavenly Academy, people are eager to obtain this Dao Fruit.

clang--

clang--

clang--

As the mountain bell rang, several elders landed and arrived, and countless inner court disciples were also summoned to go there.

After receiving the Palace Master's order, all of these people set off and headed in all directions of Shengjing City.

The evil forces surrounding the imperial city's grand formation were like a tsunami, and as soon as one wave of people was wiped out, another would surge in, making it almost impossible to move an inch.

Even though an elder used magic to tear open an opening, most of the Heavenly Academy disciples dared not move forward.

Because once they leave the city too far, the zombie horde will return, and they may find it difficult to retreat.

Meanwhile, the city of Shengjing was already overflowing with people.

Not to mention teahouses, taverns, and restaurants, even the streets were packed with people.

These people were either members of noble families who had fled to the city before the zombie horde gained momentum, and were now panting as they looked out of the city.

Zila Zila——

The evil seeds crashed into the formation like a tidal wave, producing a tearing sound that made one's teeth ache.

The entire formation trembled violently, and the golden immortal light burst forth like hot oil being poured into a cold pan, exploding into countless dazzling spots of light amidst the dark evil tide.

The evil beings at the very front were annihilated as soon as they touched the great formation, but the evil beings behind them would roar in again, surging forward over the remains of their companions, frantically tearing at the trembling light of the formation.

A blinding white light burst forth where the golden light and black mist intertwined, and each collision stirred up a ring-shaped air wave.

The array patterns flickered erratically, sometimes bursting with golden light and shredding hundreds of evil creatures, and sometimes the black tide pressed down on the light screen, causing it to cave in and deform. Before the shattered limbs of the evil creatures could even hit the ground, they were trampled into mincemeat by the subsequent surge of their kind.

Seeing this scene, even though some people knew that this great formation, which originated from the Northern Territory, could withstand the barbarians for thousands of years and would not be destroyed, they still couldn't help but feel terrified, as if they would be overwhelmed by the evil species in the next second.

"Master Zhao, you must be tired from your journey. Once you enter the city, everything will be fine. My lord invites you to rest."

"Patriarch Zhou, elders, my lord invites you to rest and have a meal."

"Elder Wu, my lord..."

"Patriarch He, Patriarch Zuoqiu, please take your clansmen to my courtyard to rest for a while."

On Yong'an and Changsheng Streets, countless figures moved among the exiled members of these aristocratic families, inviting important figures into a large mansion.

At this moment, all the pro-immortal officials, including Prince Chong, Prime Minister Wei, and the Minister of Rites, stood at the gate, bowing to greet them.

Back then, the Immortal Clan controlled tax revenue and also had shares in the spirit stone business in Yunzhou, amassing immense wealth. They had many residences like this one.

What others saw as a calamity was a great misfortune, but Chong Wang and his followers saw it as a tremendous opportunity.

So they opened up their mansions, prepared countless spirit wines and spirit stones, and gathered all the doctors from the city's medical clinics in the courtyards, inviting prominent families and dignitaries to rest there, without charging them a penny.

Because in their view, this tide of evil seeds will eventually pass, and with the incense offerings during this time of crisis, not to mention the Imperial Academy, even the throne will be within their grasp in the future.

After a while, the Chongwang residence gradually filled with people.

After replenishing their supplies with spirit stones, the heads of each family ascended the high tower in the courtyard, looking out at the boundless tide of corpses and the Heavenly Book Academy elders and disciples who were constantly slaying evil spirits.

Previously, because they were focused on bringing their people to Shengjing, they had suppressed many questions. But after getting a breather, those questions began to rise in their minds.

Why did these evil seeds suddenly spread, and where did they come from?

The people of Qingyun believe in cause and effect; they never believe in results without cause.

The head of the Zuoqiu family is named Zuoqiu Jingyun. He is the cousin of the Zuoqiu Hall Master of the Heavenly Academy. Although he is younger than Zuoqiu Yang, his hair and beard are already white due to issues with his cultivation and lifespan.

Gazing at the horde of corpses and the sea of ​​blood, Zuoqiu Jingyun couldn't help but speak softly.

"Everyone in the world knows that the only places capable of accommodating so many evil species are those vast and boundless ruins."

Upon hearing this, all the heads of the surrounding aristocratic families couldn't help but stare intently.

After the Qiling incident, the six major immortal sects, under the pretext of the demons causing havoc in Qingyun, guarded all the ruins, demarcating a hundred-mile area for strict defense, and forbidding anyone from approaching them.

Some small families living near the ruins even moved away from their ancestral home because of this.

But now, thousands upon thousands of evil creatures are emerging from the ruins, and there is only one answer.

"It seems that the Immortal Sect is stealing from its own entourage."

He Ye, the head of the He family, spoke softly, his gaze unmistakably profound.

He and the Zuoqiu family were related by marriage; his wife was Zuoqiu Jingyun's youngest sister, and his daughter was a disciple of the Zizaidian.

Compared to some other aristocratic families, they held a higher status and were naturally unafraid of the might of the Immortal Sect, daring to speak out.

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but recall the outrageously young geniuses of the immortal sects at the Immortal Tour Gathering, the old friends of the immortal sects whose cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds despite not having been seen for many years, and the three-sect war that broke out on the Moon Soul Plateau, where the ruins existed, right after the Immortal Tour Gathering ended.

Undoubtedly, they obtained something extraordinary from the ruins, but this triggered this earth-shattering upheaval, causing countless noble families to be displaced and countless deaths and injuries.

Just then, three figures came rushing in from the direction of the Heavenly Academy.

After more than a year of seclusion, He Lingxiu, Chai Ze, and Shi Junhao gracefully landed in the courtyard and stepped onto the tall building of the Chongwang Mansion. Such a major event had occurred in Qingyun World. Even though breaking through to a higher realm was of utmost importance to them, their concern for the safety of their families made them unable to sit still, and they hurriedly broke through their seclusion to come and see him.

"father."

He Ye was gazing out of the city when he turned around and saw He Lingxiu approaching. The seriousness on his face instantly faded: "Lingxiu..."

He Lingxiu walked up to He Ye and asked, "Was the trip successful? Was anyone at home injured?"

"Half of the family members have been separated from us, and their fate is currently unknown."

"How could this be..."

He Ye clenched his fist: "It happened so suddenly, there was no time to react."

He Lingxiu had just emerged from seclusion and was unaware of what was happening in the world. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"

He Ye shook his head, not revealing his previous guess.

His youngest daughter had been in seclusion, striving to break through to a higher realm. Knowing that the Immortal Sect had embezzled from its own territory might not be a good thing; it would only increase her distracting thoughts and desires.

Thinking of this, He Ye took a few steps back and looked at her: "After a year and a half of seclusion, you have already reached the threshold of the Yingtian Realm?"

He Lingxiu nodded: "I estimate that in another year or two, my daughter will be able to enter the initial stage of Yingtian."

"Well done, no wonder your uncle trained you personally."

Zuoqiu Jingyun couldn't help but come over, his expression full of admiration.

However, their attention was soon drawn to a figure on the west side.

Chai Ze and Shi Junhao are meeting with their families, and their conversation is similar to that between He Lingxiu and He Ye.

However, what attracted them was not the content of the conversation, but the cultivation levels of the two individuals.

Shi Junhao's aura was profound, clearly indicating that he had reached the threshold of the initial stage of the Yingtian realm, and his speed was almost the same as He Lingxiu's.

To reach such a level of cultivation at such a young age is enough to make one a dominant force in the world of Qingyun. But what is most astonishing is Chai Ze.

Because at this time, Chai Ze had already entered the initial stage of Yingtian.

After looking at it, He Ye stroked his beard and said, "This Chai Ze is two years younger than you, isn't he?"

“That’s right. Junior Brother Chai Ze is only twenty-eight years old, and he entered the inner courtyard later than me.”

"The new generation truly surpasses the old in the Nujiang River region..."

He Ye's praise drew nods of approval from the other aristocratic families, who also marveled at his achievement of reaching the Yingtian Realm at such a young age.

In fact, He Lingxiu was also somewhat surprised when he first saw Chai Ze break through to the next realm. However, he had cultivated for many days in the sacred land of the sages, so it was not surprising that he broke through to the next realm faster than them.

However, she wasn't too far behind. Among the young disciples of the Heavenly Academy, it didn't matter much who was first or second, so there was no need to delve too deeply into it.

Just then, two figures with their skirts swaying slightly approached He Lingxiu: "Sister Lingxiu."

He Lingxiu turned around and saw that it was Miss Qiu: "Hanyue, are you alright?"

Qiu Hanyue shook her head: "It's nothing. I just want to know if Ji You has returned to Tianshu Academy."

"Ji You...?"

"Yes, I want to ask if he has come back."

Princess Chang Le was comforting the still-shaken young nobles when she heard a name that caught her eye, and she couldn't help but stop and look over.

"Why are you asking about Ji You? Isn't he at the Heavenly Academy?"

He Lingxiu was somewhat surprised to hear this name that she hadn't thought of for over a year.

He Ye couldn't help but speak up at this moment: "We met him on the road. The Qiu family was almost in trouble, but he helped them with a sword."

After he finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of those around him began to turn strange.

Those under thirty years old who have reached the Yingtian Realm can indeed be called geniuses, and even within the Immortal Sect, they are worthy of admiration.

The problem is, there's a monster in the Heavenly Academy that can almost extinguish everyone's light.

He Lingxiu turned her head slightly and exchanged a glance with Shi Junhao and Chai Ze, her eyes showing some confusion.

When they went into seclusion, Ji You had just emerged from the sacred land of the sages. Upon his return, he was still at the Tongxuan realm. In their view, he had reached the end of his cultivation and would probably be lost in the crowd. Unexpectedly, they heard his name again after he came out of seclusion.

Just then, a deafening explosion suddenly came from outside the formation.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the scene, where they saw three Boundless Realm elders from the Heavenly Book Academy's Elder Pavilion using magic to bombard a horde of corpses that was rushing towards them.

The reason they were in this situation was that the disciples of the Heavenly Academy who had been sent out were now trapped in the horde of zombies and were completely surrounded.

Not far from them were hundreds of other cultivators who had fled from the horde of corpses, also trapped before the zombie horde.

Those were originally meant to be the people the disciples of the Heavenly Academy were supposed to meet, but now both the person who was meeting them and the person being met are about to be overwhelmed by the horde of zombies.

Qingyun Tianxia never promotes the so-called spirit of selfless dedication. Even the elders who came here did so because some of their family members were trapped outside the city.

However, the zombie horde was as formidable as mountains and seas, and even with the elders' best efforts, it was difficult to bring them all back in time.

Just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, a dazzling sword aura swept across the sky, crashing down like a cascading galaxy.

Under the intense pressure of the sword, the horde of evil corpses was instantly torn apart, creating a huge gap.

As everyone looked up in astonishment, they saw Ji You walking through the air, his scorching aura seemingly capable of burning through the entire night, followed by countless shimmering spiritual swords suspended in the air behind him.

Upon witnessing this scene, tens of thousands of cultivators in the city instinctively held their breath, as if they were seeing someone charging in with a sea of ​​stars.

hum!
The heavy sword, imbued with sharp energy, instantly coalesced into a dragon, crashing down upon the surging tide of corpses and slicing out a dust explosion dozens of feet long.

The roaring evil corpse flew out instantly, with countless shattered and withered limbs flying everywhere. The heavy sword dragon slashed all the way to the gate of the great formation before stopping with a bang, and the raging tide in front of the gate was directly cut off, creating a huge hole.

Those who were besieged seized the opportunity and immediately used their spiritual energy to create an opening, scrambling to escape into the city. Still in shock, they looked behind them.

Ji You, carrying Bai Rulong, roared into the city and landed on Yong'an Avenue.

With a snap, Ji You released the collar of the Immortal Emperor Rulong. While collecting money from the crowd behind him, he tucked his clothes into his pocket and stared at the horde of corpses blocked by the great formation.

After collecting the money, he leaped into the air and roared towards the Heavenly Academy.

In Shengjing City, countless eyes followed his figure until they reached the summit of Mount Ni before they came to their senses.

Half a month ago, the Immortal Tour ended and everyone returned. Countless people were saying that Ji You had swung his sword and killed an elder from the Boundless Realm of Spirit Sword Mountain in order to save his concubine.

Those who haven't seen it with their own eyes might think it's an exaggeration, until they witness the sky filled with sword strikes.

Inside the Chongwang residence, Zhao Yunyue clenched her fists with a gloomy expression, while Sheng Xiyu, who had been persuading the Qiu family to break off the engagement, looked at Qiu Hanyue and saw her looking unwillingly in the direction of Nishan. She knew that her friendship with Qiu Hanyue would no longer exist.

In reality, they had seen it before, so the sense of shock wasn't that earth-shattering.

The most astonished were He Lingxiu, Shi Junhao, and Chai Ze, who had been in seclusion for many years. They stared blankly in the direction he left, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened.

At this moment, Ji You had already landed on the mountain peak in the inner courtyard and was walking towards the summit of Yunwu Mountain.

The wind was strong last night, especially on the mountaintop.

The howling north wind kept tearing at his white robe, causing it to flutter loudly.

At this moment, at the highest point of Tianshu Peak, in front of a Zen hermitage, an old man dressed in loose clothing, looking weak and frail, was watching him head down to the summit of Yunwu Mountain.

The five palace masters soon heard footsteps and couldn't help but turn around to look. They were slightly surprised when they saw the figure of the person who came.

"Ji You?"

"It's a man-made disaster."

"?"

"This horde of zombies is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one."

Ji You waved his hand and took out the cloth scroll that he had written and drawn all over, which he unfurled in the mountain breeze with spiritual energy.

Upon hearing the sound, the five hall masters stood up and their gazes fell upon the scroll.

The above content is everything Ji You learned from the evil seed. Connecting the dots, it can be understood in one scene, making all five palace masters stare intently.

They found it hard to believe that someone had been stealing things from the ruins all these years, and that it was all closely related to every disaster.

Even this earth-shattering change was orchestrated by these very people.

Zuo Qiuyang turned to look at Ji You, his eyes flickering with light and shadow.

When Xianyuan got into trouble, he shone brightly at the Immortal Tour Gathering. Everyone was attracted by the gifts from Heaven. He never expected that Ji You would use this time to find out so much.

Chai Hu then came to his senses: "So, the Chu family, the Du family, and others have been stealing immortal opportunities all along. Now that the ruins have been occupied by the immortal sect, they simply decided to go all the way and cause a disaster to destroy their sect and erase all traces, while hiding in advance to prepare to redistribute the Nine Provinces after the zombie horde?"

Ji You shook her head: "No, the timing is wrong."

"?
"Whether it's the Great Wilderness Forest or the Broken Soul Mountain, the ruins have been open for so long, and no one has ever seen a single evil seed. It's as easy for the Immortal Sect to steal things from the remnants of the clan as it is to go home. But at this moment, evil seeds have suddenly emerged from all directions. Before that, were the evil seeds hiding all along?"

Ji You's initial guess was the same as Chai Hu's: that the relics had suddenly received the forgiveness of the Heavenly Dao, allowing them to appear in the human world, be discovered by the immortal sects, and then be taken and divided up.

These people, who were hiding in the corner, discovered this during the Immortal Gathering and then released the evil seed.

This would both bury the traces they left around the ruins and reclassify the cakes of Kyushu.

After making his deductions, he still felt a bit awkward, as if something was not quite right.

It wasn't until he saw those evil creatures, crushed by the city wall of Wannian County, struggling to crawl out even with their bodies broken, on his way there that he realized something was wrong.

This speculation contradicts the characteristics of the evil species.

These things are just dead shells, devoid of any thought, and will relentlessly attack and kill anyone who smells even a trace of human presence.

How could they have patiently hidden themselves while the previous ruins were being opened, only to gather together now and catch us off guard?

That's why Ji Youcai said the timing wasn't right.

The only possibility is that before the Great Wilderness Forest was opened, that group of people had already planned everything, controlling the evil seed to prevent it from showing itself and waiting silently.

Then, at this moment, all those evil corpses swarmed out.

If they really insist on waiting until this moment to make their move, it means that what they were waiting for was already accomplished before the zombie horde arrived yesterday.

Zuo Qiuyang then understood Ji You's subtext: "They have been waiting for all the ruins to be opened by the Immortal Sects themselves. The zombie horde is not the goal; these people have other plans."

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(End of this chapter)