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Chapter 342 The Headmaster of the Heavenly Academy Passes Away

"What happened?"

"It seems so, the earth dragon has turned over..."

"?"

Under the cover of darkness, an official from the Imperial Observatory stationed in Zhongzhou arrived at full speed and entered the square white jade building.

Before long, all the tis who had gone home to rest returned as summoned.

Kuang Cheng, who had just returned to the capital, also arrived. His mansion had been destroyed in the great battle in Linxian Realm, and he was now staying at the home of his friend Mu Jing.

The six inspectors entered the Imperial Academy together and met the Director He Jingyuan and the Deputy Director Peng Dongyang in the council hall.

In the northwest of Zhongzhou, an earth dragon overturned, causing strong tremors and cracks. Dongxia County was the most severely affected, and they needed to arrange for personnel from the prison to go to the disaster relief site.

After some discussion, the Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory was appointed to take on the important task of going to the disaster area.

Under the cover of night, the group rode their horses out of the city at breakneck speed, galloping towards the source of the intense aftershocks.

At this time, a long, dark crack had appeared in the very center of Dongxia County, stretching endlessly and bottomlessly. Several isolated peaks of the Chunming Mountains, which originally stood in the north of the county seat, had all collapsed.

The Nujiang River, which flows through this area, suddenly swelled, and the water rushed turbulently towards both banks after breaching its banks.

The northwest of Zhongzhou has a complex terrain, and the massive Qiling Mountain range separates it from the fertile hinterland.

The majority of people living in this half of the state are farmers who make a living by farming.

The horde of corpses that came with the demons did not actually reach this area, but this time the earth dragon turned over, causing countless civilians to die in the collapsed mountains and houses.

The Surveillance Bureau of the Imperial Observatory traveled day and night, taking more than two days and nights, and when they arrived at the place, they saw countless ruins and cries of agony everywhere.

"grown ups……"

"Teams one, two, and three, summon local officials and yamen runners to help the civilians. Team four, survey the area outward from the center and record the extent of the disaster. This earth dragon disaster is more severe than we imagined. We must immediately compile the case files and send them back to the prison."

"Yes!"

As Mu Jing had said, the geological disaster in the northwest of Zhongzhou was more severe than they had anticipated, and its impact was far greater.

The collapse even reached Qingzhou and Yunzhou, stretching for thousands of miles.

The Inspection Department acted immediately, with each department fulfilling its responsibilities and commencing the earthquake relief process.

They didn't have enough manpower and felt powerless in the face of such a large disaster area.

For this reason, the Imperial Observatory even sought help from the Wan family, a century-old family not far from this place.

However, all the powerful families in Zhongzhou were openly and secretly vying for the inheritance left by the Li family after its destruction, and they did not respond to the request from the Sixian Bureau.

Even so, what needs to be done still needs to be done.

So the Directorate of Immortals spent four days and nights sending a survey report back to Shengjing, explaining the extent of the disaster and the number of victims that had been identified so far, and requesting disaster relief funds and additional manpower from the Great Xia.

For several days, no news came back from Shengjing.

Aftershocks continue, and refugees are fleeing.

Mu Jing was restless, wondering why the prison, which was always quick to respond, had not sent back a single word at this time.

In his anxiety, he left the staff of the Surveillance Bureau to continue their work while he rode at full speed towards Shengjing. After entering the city, he passed by his home without going in and went straight to the Imperial Observatory.

Peng Dongyang was in prison, yawning as he slept, his dark circles under his eyes a testament to his lack of sleep all day.

Upon seeing Mu Jing return, Peng Dongyang couldn't help but raise his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Deputy Warden!"

"Mu Jing, you're back."

Mu Jing looked at him with some anxiety: "Why has it taken so long to submit the disaster relief case file? Not to mention disaster relief funds and manpower, my supervisory department hasn't even received a single summons."

Peng Dongyang stood up, a hint of helplessness appearing on his pale face: "It's not that there's no response, it's that something even bigger has happened."

"Something bigger? What could be bigger?"

"plague."

"?"

Peng Dongyang looked at him: "I just received news the day before yesterday that an epidemic has appeared in the southwest of Youzhou and the north of Qingzhou. It is spreading rapidly, and those infected will cough up blood and die within seven days. Kuang Cheng has already led people there."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jing's eyes instantly froze.

This earthquake has indeed caused countless deaths and injuries, with many more trapped under the rubble. Rescue efforts are urgently needed.

However, infectious diseases do take higher priority than other disasters.

If such a disaster is not dealt with in a timely manner, the consequences are unimaginable.

Mu Jing suddenly understood why the Imperial Observatory had been so slow to react to the earthquake relief efforts, and she couldn't help but clench her fists.

Meanwhile, Kuang Cheng had already led a large number of men to the official road between Youzhou and Qingzhou.

From a distance, you can see countless figures lying among the farmland.

At this moment, a group of refugees, with their families in tow, were walking along the official road, outside the drainage ditch on the east side of the road.

Even while fleeing, they did not forget that this official road was built by a celestial being and dared not tread upon it.

Before they even met, the man in plain clothes who was walking at the front suddenly fell straight to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

In an instant, the entire fleeing group was thrown into chaos, and countless people began to run away in terror.

"Teams one and two, go stop the refugees from leaving. Team three, go dig ditches and burn the bodies. The rest of you, follow me."

"Yes!"

At Kuang Cheng's command, the first and second teams immediately pulled on their reins, swerved to block the entire road, and shouted at the refugees to stop immediately.

Kuang Cheng led his men further in and saw more and more people lying down.

Their skin was red, they were extremely weak, and they were barely breathing.

As they got closer to Qibao County, where the incident occurred, they saw more and more people lying in the city, almost densely packed together.

"A high fever indicates the invasion of external pathogens into the body, which can lead to death within seven days. It can be described as the most severe of all severe illnesses."

The doctors who came with the group turned pale when they saw the hellish scene in the city.

Kuang Cheng frowned: "Go to the government office and clear out the prison cells. Find some patients whose symptoms are not yet too severe and bring them over to observe their condition. Give them the medicine we brought, especially the kind of pills that were personally taught and refined by the Dan Sect."

"Yes, my lord."

The staff of the Imperial Observatory are all well-trained and work very efficiently.

The Qibao County government office was quickly emptied, and the mortals detained there were moved to another location, replaced by some infected individuals whose symptoms were not too severe.

Based on their symptoms, they were given different medications available for treating the plague.

Among them, the pills made by the direct disciples of the Dan Sect were fed to the five people.

This was given to the group of refugees, including Qingwa, after the Qiling incident. Yuanchen then improved the formula and kept it.

Although the elixirs produced by the Imperial Observatory are not as effective as those refined by Yuan Chen, they are still the best medicine for treating external evils entering the body.

What they didn't expect was that no matter which kind of pill they took, they all ended up coughing up blood and dying.

Useless.

The disease contracted by those who fled from Qiling was not the same one.

The doctor who accompanied them looked terrified: "Sir, what should we do?"

"As previously arranged, the outflow of refugees is prohibited, a separate area is cleared for reception, the bodies of the dead are all burned on the spot, and other drugs are continued to be tried to find out the source of infection."

"clear."

"Take precautions..."

The news of the earth dragon's reversal had long been known to the people of Shengjing, but the reaction was not particularly strong.

However, when news of the deadly epidemic arrived, it caused an uproar throughout the city.

In teahouses and taverns, discussions were rife. People recalled the outbreak of an epidemic after the Qiling incident, which could even infect cultivators. They wondered if it was the same kind of disease.

For several days in a row, the price of medicinal herbs in Shengjing has been soaring.

However, since no cases have been reported in Shengjing, people's activities of chatting and socializing have not decreased.

Amidst the chattering, some guests sitting in the teahouse began to feel parched, realizing that they hadn't been served tea for quite some time.

"Xiao Er, Xiao Er!"

"Here...here comes our guest."

"Where did the tea go? Is this one tael of silver just the price for sitting here?"

"I'll go and urge them on your behalf right away!"

The waiter, in a panic, rushed downstairs, only to find that the manager was no longer at the counter. Helpless, he could only lift the curtain and go to the teahouse behind the building.

To the waiter's surprise, the manager, who was not at the counter, was now in the backyard, where other teahouse staff looked terrified and anxious.

"What...what exactly happened?"

"I don't know, it's been like this since this morning."

"Hurry, hurry to the water shop and tell them to send water over immediately."

"I've already gone there, but it's the same at the water shop."

The waiter wanted to tell the customer why he was getting impatient, but when he got to the shopkeeper's side, he suddenly froze.

The wooden bucket that had just been pulled from the well was filled with water, but the water was an eerie blood color and had a foul, malevolent smell.

When he walked to the well and looked down, he saw that the well was filled with dark red.

The teahouse manager immediately notified the owner, who responded by keeping the matter a secret, claiming that the water was contaminated, returning the money to the customer and asking him to leave.

But the matter was not kept secret, because in addition to the major rivers such as the Nujiang and Wujiang, as well as the streams in various places, almost all the wells in Qingyun Tianxia had an inexplicable dark red color.

Most importantly, the water conservancy official soon submitted a case file to the Great Xia, which instantly shocked Shengjing.

According to their observations, the water levels of those rivers are continuously decreasing, and at this rate, they will be nearly dried up in less than six months.

Before the panic could even take hold, even more perplexing things continued to happen.

Seven days after the water source turned red, a heavy snowfall visited Qingyun.

A sudden, chilling cold spread rapidly across the surface of Qingyun, causing the river to freeze and the earth to be covered in frost.

It's only early autumn in Qingyun, and the summer vacation hasn't even ended yet, so this scene is hard to understand.

Most importantly, the deadly epidemic, the depletion of water sources, and the pervasive cold—any one of these factors, if allowed to continue, would lead to utter destruction.

In the inner courtyard of the Heavenly Academy, in the Hall of Auspiciousness, snowflakes fell onto the eaves, melted by the sun, and then froze into icicles by the cold air, hanging from the roof tiles.

You Yingqiu turned her head to look at the freezing cold and snow falling outside the hall, and couldn't help but look up at the sky.

In principle, the higher one's cultivation level, the closer one is to the Heavenly Dao. Apart from the Immortal Realm, the highest level of the Five Realms is the closest to the Heavenly Dao. At this moment, she could feel a sense of chaos and weakness, on the verge of collapse.

After watching for a long time, she turned her gaze back to the main hall.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu fell into a deep sleep at the tea ceremony due to the magic, while the headmaster was constantly using immortal light to open up Ji You's meridians.

His recovery was much faster than expected; he briefly opened his eyes, but soon fell into a coma again.

His master, on the other hand, was already showing signs of decline throughout his body. In particular, on the day the earth dragon turned over, he even coughed up blood, as if he had suffered a severe injury.

After that, he had little life left.

After a long while, the treatment ended, and the old director sat on a wooden stool next to the bed, breathing slightly, looking very weak.

You Yingqiu brought him a warm towel and wiped his sweat.

Zuo Qiuyang then arrived at the Auspicious Hall and reported on the interrogation of the demon, as well as the red and fishy color of the Qingyun Water Source and the continuous spread of a virulent epidemic.

However, the old dean was not surprised, and silently took out a jade pendant from his pocket.

"There's not much time left; there are some things I need to explain."

"Master..."

The old dean raised his hand to stop them from speaking: "You should already know that I don't have time. After I pass away, Yingqiu will take over as the head of the Heavenly Academy."

You Yingqiu's eyes trembled instantly: "Master, I am not qualified."

"I can't wait any longer. You must take this responsibility seriously."

“All of you senior brothers are more qualified than I am.”

The old dean shook his head: "The Heavenly Academy's duty since ancient times has been to uphold the Heavenly Dao. What matters is not cultivation level, but the art of Heavenly Secrets. This matter cannot be left to you."

After listening, You Yingqiu turned her head and looked at Ji You lying on the bed: "Where is Ji You?"

"What's wrong with Ji You?"

"Isn't he a Night's Watchman?"

Upon hearing You Yingqiu's words, Zuo Qiuyang said, "Master, the technique that Ji You cultivates is the legacy of the Night Watchers. I have already told Junior Sister You about this. We searched through many ancient books and learned that according to the tradition of the Heavenly Academy, the next headmaster must have experienced the Night Watchers."

The old dean turned to look at Ji You: "He is not the night watchman."

You Yingqiu and Zuo Qiuyang exchanged a glance, a hint of doubt flashing in their eyes: "No?"

“He did indeed inherit my junior brother’s legacy, but the Night’s Watch lineage has been broken for a hundred years. Any Night’s Watch that reappears is no longer the Night’s Watch.”

"Why?"

The old warden stroked his long beard: "It's like a prison. The prisoners have already escaped, so why do we need a new night watchman to guard an empty cell?"

You Yingqiu looked at her master: "But he can control the Heavenly Book."

“He is indeed a very special person, so Yingqiu, you should pay more attention to his decisions in the future, firmly believe that everything he does is right, and follow him to the end even if he is wrong.”

"What Master said makes me feel like my junior sister is going to take over the Management Pavilion, not the Heavenly Academy."

Zuo Qiuyang couldn't help but speak up, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.

The old dean chuckled softly, then reached out and touched You Yingqiu's hair: "Zuoqiu is right. In fact, I am a very unqualified master. All four of you brothers have been personally taught by me, except for Yingqiu."

You Yingqiu looked at her master and shook her head: "Master has neglected sect affairs all these years, there must be a reason for it."

"You are a good boy."

"Master...when will you return?"

The old dean looked straight at the heavy snow outside and said, "Why not just do it today? I love the snowy scenery."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Qiuyang stood up and said, "I will go and call my fellow disciples to come here."

"Go."

"Yes."

Zuo Qiuyang turned around and hurriedly headed out of the hall.

You Yingqiu watched him leave, then looked up at her master: "Yingqiu has another question. I have asked it many times before, but Master has always refused to answer on the grounds that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Today, Yingqiu would like to ask it in a different way. Please answer, Master."

The old dean looked at her and said, "Go ahead and speak."

"After the incident at the ruins, has the night faded away?"

"Do you think families like the Chu and Li are the legendary figures of the Nightfall?"

You Yingqiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

After discussing with Zuo Qiuyang the matter of Ji You being the Night Watchman of this generation, they, like Ji You, kept thinking about what the night was and why it needed to be watched over by successive generations.

Observing Ji You's whereabouts, they discovered that he had been investigating the matter of someone using the ruins to transform into an evil species, and they assumed that it was Nightfall.

Now that the ruins have been drained dry by the demons and all the Dao fruits have been looted, she believes the night should have already dissipated.

After listening, the old dean remained silent for a long time: "Whether it's the Chu family or the Li family, they are just an insignificant interlude under the cover of night. Therefore, your generation of sect leader will have the most difficult job."

Upon hearing this, You Yingqiu raised her head, her eyes trembling: "It was just an interlude..."

“Once you cultivate the Heavenly Secrets Technique to the next level, you will be able to see it more clearly. The reason I don’t tell you is because you have not yet deciphered the Heavenly Secrets. Once you know of its existence, you will be affected by it.”

"Disciple, please remember this."

You Yingqiu didn't ask any more questions, but her face turned slightly pale.

Once you become aware of it, you'll be affected, which means it might be everywhere. What exactly is it...?

The old dean got up from the couch, took out a ring from his pocket, walked to the unconscious Ji You, put it on his index finger, and then looked at the snow-covered sky.

As the head of the Heavenly Academy, he had lived for countless years, outlived many old friends, and dared not leave any descendants due to karma. In fact, he did not have much attachment to the past.

Moreover, he will not truly leave this world on this journey.

At the same time, Zuo Qiuyang had already summoned Fei She, Chai Hu, and Lü Fengchuan, and relayed the conversation that had just taken place in the hall to them.

Upon hearing that the Sect Leader was about to pass away today and that You Yingqiu would take over the position of Sect Leader, all three fell silent.

The news came very suddenly, but the brothers were not entirely unprepared.

Because the overwhelming sense of weariness emanating from Master these past few days had already foreshadowed this day.

However, to their surprise, when they arrived at the Auspicious Palace, the celestial light outside the palace had already dissipated and turned into countless ripples amidst the roar.

Their master, meanwhile, had already bowed his head on the bamboo couch in the Auspicious Hall.

Lu Fengchuan walked over in astonishment and looked at You Yingqiu: "Why...why is there no divine light to guide us?"

You Yingqiu looked at her master and said softly, "I don't know either."

"Could it be that Master did not ascend to immortality?"

"Our master has a long lifespan, possesses countless secrets of heaven, and has profound cultivation. Perhaps he used methods that we are unaware of."

Fisher, watching the lifeless old man from behind, couldn't help but whisper something.

The five then fell silent for a long time, remaining in the main hall for a considerable period.

The headmaster of the Heavenly Academy left quietly and silently, and the news has not yet been known to anyone. What people are paying attention to is that the increasingly cold weather has begun to warm up, and the snow in September has gradually stopped.

Even more remarkably, the old manager of the Shengjing Teahouse discovered that the originally scarlet well water began to gradually become clear, and the fishy smell quietly dissipated.

So the teahouse reopened and offered half-price discounts for several days, which brought back its old customers.

During this process, all departments of the Great Xia were extremely busy.

They were busy with disaster relief, disease prevention and control, and water level monitoring.

Not long after, another letter from the Nujiang River water conservancy official arrived in Shengjing from the river basin. The Imperial Observatory then reported it to the Emperor of Great Xia, saying that the water level of the Nujiang River had returned to its original position.

As for the restless earth dragon, it gradually subsided, and its aftershocks faded away.

Most importantly, good news came from the epidemic area: a seriously ill patient had recovered on his own.

At this moment, in the distant sky, a shattered figure crossed Dongxia County, Qibao County, and the Nujiang River, finally hovering in the void, smelling the aroma of wine and gazing at the heavens for a long time.

"So it turns out that you shared half of your life with the Heavenly Dao in these fleeting hundred years, which is why it has been able to sustain itself until now. No wonder you neglect sect affairs and dare not get involved in anyone's karma."

"But when it comes to being able to drink, you're much smarter than me."

"..."

The sudden natural disaster ended just as quickly, and the news of the Heavenly Academy's headmaster's passing slowly began to circulate.

This indeed caused quite a stir and sparked widespread discussion.

He was an unparalleled expert who had been in charge of the Heavenly Academy for over three hundred years. He had been admired by countless people. His ascension to heaven was too sudden for many.

Besides the ascension of the former headmaster, the power transition within the Heavenly Academy naturally became the focus of attention for the world, as it was common knowledge that the Heavenly Academy had no direct disciples, and many people were curious about who would be the next headmaster.

Until a bright morning after the start of autumn, the news of You Yingqiu's succession as the head of the Heavenly Academy spread far and wide, shaking the world.

Correspondingly, the You family of Liangzhou instantly became famous because of this, and even the process of dividing up the inheritance of the destroyed aristocratic family was affected.

After that, Qingyun finally settled down a bit. Although the struggles between aristocratic families and the internal strife within the immortal sects continued, the common people finally had a chance to recuperate.

They know very little about the truth of this world. Many of them still don't know what the surging horde of zombies was, what the sudden darkness was, or what the thunderous explosions were. They just want a peaceful life.

But such a major event for the human race, with countless important figures passing away one after another, will not only cause internal troubles.

On the northern city wall, a general guarding the city, who was using liquor to keep warm, suddenly opened his eyes wide and saw countless figures emerging from the Ten Thousand Mountains. They were all tall and strong as mountains, riding wild beasts and roaring towards him.

In fact, this scene was something the Zhenbei Army had seen countless times, so there was no need to be too surprised.

The problem is that, in addition to the Ten Thousand Mountains, countless people are also flocking to the northern border from the vast snow-covered region.

In an instant, the city's defenders sounded the horn, instantly waking the long night.

The soldiers of the Zhenbei Army immediately donned their armor, gripped their swords, and climbed the city wall. Looking at the rapidly assembling armies of the two tribes, their faces turned pale.

The demon race and the barbarian race have formed an alliance and launched an attack.

The sheer number of people involved far exceeded the scale of any battle in the past millennium, sending a chill down their spines.

However, with the protection of the Northern Border Formation, they still felt somewhat confident.

But when they looked around the entire formation, their faces turned even paler.

Because in the far west of our line of sight, the great array of mysterious light had not yet risen.

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(End of this chapter)