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Chapter 346 The Human Race's Fate Was Severed
Chu He's wish to access the Heavenly Book was dashed after his defeat in the Autumn Battle. However, according to those who were captured, they did not give up.

The path to immortality is within reach, far easier than sitting idly in cultivation, and yields much greater rewards.

No one will be disappointed by one or two failures; on the contrary, they will become even more enthusiastic about it.

Under the arrangement of the Chu and Li families, they began to secretly plan the Heavenly Dao Society.

Whether it's Zhu Shun, Zhu Yao, Li Yunlang, Zhuang Zixin, or Zhuang You.

These once highly sought-after contestants in the Heavenly Dao Society all stepped onto the stage with unknown motives.

They fought their way through the trials and tribulations, all for the sake of achieving a ranking in the Heavenly Dao Society and thus gaining entry into the sacred land of the sages.

Just as Du Zhu and Bai Rulong were arranged as backups when Chu He entered the Heavenly Academy, in addition to these people, there were also some people who failed the Heavenly Dao Society in the end, which were also related to this matter.

For example, Bayan, You Bai, and others who broke through the barrier in the final competition were all escorts arranged to help them win the top ten.

In fact, Ji You had already made some guesses about this part before.

When he chased them all the way to Risheng City and saw Zhu Shun, Zhuang You, and others, he had a strong sense of déjà vu, as if they had stepped into the sacred land of the sages together. He vaguely guessed what they must have done in the sacred land of the sages.

This conjecture was confirmed, or rather, supplemented with more detailed information, in the testimony.

"The Heavenly Dao is connected to the fate of the human race, and the fate of the human race is connected to all living beings of the human race. This is common knowledge in the world of Qingyun."

"But what few people know is that this is not an abstract concept."

"The place where the fortunes of humanity and the Heavenly Dao intersect is the Temple of Eternal Peace, deep within the sacred land of the ancient sages. It was built by the seven great sages of that time."

"The Heavenly Dao relies on controlling the world's races, and its power to control the human world also originates from the fortune of its races."

"In order to eliminate the destructive power after taking the elixir, we must enter the sacred land of the ancients and sever the most direct connection between the Heavenly Dao and the human world, so that the relics can be liberated."

Ji You lowered his head and read Zhu Shun's confession over and over again.

Back then, he did have some doubts. Why did some people not devote themselves to seeking the Dao after entering the holy land, but instead come and go in a hurry every day? He also wondered why all the world's geniuses wanted to enter the holy land of the sages, but a few people left early after doing so.

An even bigger question arises later when he experienced the same malevolent thoughts as those at Qiling in the sacred site of the ancient sages.

Now, all of these questions have been answered.

Most importantly, he had never understood how the Chu family and others manipulated the Heavenly Dao to allow the relics to appear in the world, thus setting up everything in advance. Now, he has finally solved this mystery.

Seeing him deep in thought, Zuo Qiuyang couldn't help but speak up: "Not long after you entered the sacred land of the sages, blood mist appeared above the Xuanhai Sea, followed by torrential rains that lasted for several months. Some of the grains were found to have only husks and no cores. This must have been an apocalypse."

"A warning from Heaven?"

"That's understandable."

The purpose of a warning is naturally to make people aware of it, and there should be someone in this world who can understand it.

But there were no night watchmen.

After pondering for a while, Ji You raised his head: "Is the severing of fortune just the release of the ruins, without any other major disaster?"

Zuo Qiuyang shook his head: "The concept of luck has always been mysterious. We also find it difficult to understand what it might cause besides liberating the ruins, and we don't know exactly how they mean by severing it. Moreover, the sacred land of the sages cannot be opened at present, so we have no chance to explore it."

The Holy Land of the Sages is a broken space that can only be automatically repaired once every five years.

If the space is forcibly opened without sufficient repairs, the entire space will vanish into nothingness and cease to exist.

Therefore, it is difficult for them to verify this part in a short period of time, let alone make up for it.

But just as Ji You had asked earlier, the other immortal sects also felt worried after seeing this testimony.

According to the history of Qingyun, the Yi Clan was overthrown by the combined forces of the demon and human races because they lost their fortune, and the entire clan was eventually wiped out, while the human race was able to rise again and stand for thousands of years.

The previous Demon Emperor also went to the Snow Region because the so-called destiny was not with our clan, and swallowed a thousand years of wind and snow.

Now that the human race's destiny has been severed, no one knows whether it will repeat the mistakes of the remaining races and be wiped out.

They couldn't even know whether the successful crossing of the northern border by the demons and barbarians, and their southward journey, was also because the Heavenly Dao had begun to protect them.

If so, then the human race, having lost its destiny, may struggle in vain in the end.

"These freaks really don't care about anything."

"The allure of Heaven is boundless, and for them, if this matter succeeds, even if the human race is destroyed, they can still ascend ahead of time and obtain eternal freedom and good fortune, so there is naturally no need to worry."

Ji You suddenly rubbed her eyes, feeling a stinging pain in them.

You Yingqiu is right. His mental strength is very weak right now. Even after resting for a day, he still feels uncomfortable after reading continuously.

"My vision is a little blurry, and my forehead is also a bit throbbing. Please have Lord Zuoqiu dictate the rest of the content for me."

"it is good."

Zuo Qiuyang picked up the remaining case files and spread them out one by one.

The Hall Master of the Heavenly Academy holds a position second only to the Emperor, wielding immense power. Even the elders of the Elders' Hall must treat him with respect, let alone his disciples.

However, Zuo Qiuyang seemed to be completely obedient at this moment, which would probably shock others if they saw it.

Because this feeling is really like a subordinate giving a report to a superior.

"What happened next was the same as we had guessed. The fact that the Immortal Sect opened the ruins because of the Dao Fruit was a trap they had set up."

"After the Qiling incident, all the ruins were guarded by the Immortal Sect, making it difficult for them to approach. Moreover, they have almost exhausted their Infant Pills. By entering the Holy Land of the Sages to unlock the Immortal Fate of the ruins, their purpose is to make the Immortal Sect open all the ruins on their own."

"Dou Yuankong and the Bu family are just the starting point."

Upon hearing this, Ji You looked up and asked, "Dou Yuankong has never actually been to the Bu Family Winery, right?"

Zuo Qiuyang raised his eyes: "You even know about this?"

"After I killed Bu Qirong in the Dongping Mountains, I returned to the vicinity of the Bu Family Winery and inquired with the local people. They said that the Bu Family Winery was always heavily guarded and strangers were not allowed to approach. Dou Yuankong did not have that much ability."

"That's right. Dou Yuankong never went to the Bu family. He was invited there by the Du family."

According to the testimonies, after severing the human race's fortune, the treacherous families who joined forces planned to make the immortal sects covet the ruins again and open them on their own without being exposed.

So they conspired to set a trap, using Dou Yuankong as bait and the Bu family as the hook.

When Ji You returned from his mission to the snowy region, the first thing he did upon arriving in the capital was to cut off the lion head of the Dou family mansion, an event that caused quite a stir at the time.

Later, when Dou Yuankong disappeared, Minister Dou blamed everything on Ji You and searched everywhere for him, even seeking help from many prominent families.

To be honest, the disappearance of the son of a Great Xia official would not attract the attention of cultivators at all.

The problem is that this matter is related to Ji You, who was already very influential in Qingyun Tianxia at that time.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Dou Yuankong was chosen and sent to Qingzhou at the invitation of the Du family.

The head of the Du family confessed that they secretly threw Dou Yuankong into the corpse pit, making him witness the humanized evil seed, and then placed him around the Bu family, who had been chosen as pawns.

The Bu family did indeed act as corpse transporters; in their plan, they were the most useless members.

All they knew was what the powerful families who had joined forces needed him to know, and he knew nothing about what he shouldn't know.

Dou Yuankong's scratches indeed attracted the attention of the Immortal Sect, and the Bu family thus came into the Immortal Sect's sights.

As originally planned, the Bu family's increased combat power and ability to mutate into evil species would inevitably arouse the greed of the Immortal Sect, leading them to investigate thoroughly and ultimately be led to the ruins.

But who knew that Bu Qirong wouldn't even have time to say a word before Ji You killed him right under the noses of countless Divine Realm cultivators.

After saying this, Zuo Qiuyang looked at Ji You and said, "When you traveled thousands of miles to Dongping Mountain and wiped out the Bu family, many people didn't understand why."

"Because I didn't know about the liberation of the ruins, I only knew that if the immortals in the ruins wanted to be brought out, they needed to harm infants as containers."

"that is it?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"It's not that it's not enough, it's just that you may not know that many people in the Seven Great Immortal Sects suspected you of being involved in the disaster of the ruins, but they never expected your reason to be so unexpectedly simple."

Zuo Qiuyang's words were true. After Ji You sacrificed his life to kill Bu Qirong, many people questioned his motives and felt that he might still be connected to the Qiling disaster.

In their view, if this were not the case, why would Ji You be in such a hurry to kill Bu Qirong to silence him?

Ji You's combat strength was particularly strange; he couldn't even defeat Elder Fang, who was at the Boundless Realm, which deepened this suspicion.

They never imagined that Ji You's reason for killing would be so simple.

If this reason were given to someone else, Zuo Qiuyang would only reply with, "Nonsense."

But when it comes to Ji You, recalling all that he has done in the past, it feels so real and beyond question.

"After that, how was the Great Wilderness Forest opened after I killed Bu Qirong?"

Ji You, unwilling to be questioned about his motives, asked questions about what happened next.

“Once a person’s greed is aroused, it is difficult to dissipate, especially for those whose lifespan is nearing its end. They are even less likely to give up.” Zuo Qiuyang turned to look at him: “Those who were captured alive could not explain it. It was probably because they made temporary adjustments after your plan was interrupted. However, it is not difficult to lure a group of people who are almost insane about wanting to prolong their lives to the Great Wilderness Forest.”

"Speaking of which, where did Elder Fang and his people go after the disaster?"

Reminded by Zuo Qiuyang's previous words, Ji You suddenly remembered those damned old guys who were still alive.

"They must have been murdered," Zuo Qiuyang said after thinking for a moment. "Those demons went to absorb the immense immortal energy in the center of the ruins to achieve immortality; perhaps they served as nourishment for them."

"That's really one of the few pieces of good news."

Zuo Qiuyang declined to comment on his assessment, instead putting down the case file in his hand: "You were personally involved in everything that followed, so there's no need to say more."

Ji You looked down at the case files again: "It sounds like nothing has been missed, but are all of their claims true?"

"This confession was compiled into a case file a month ago. During this month, all the major immortal sects have been searching based on this case file. So far, it seems to be consistent with the facts. The traces they accidentally left behind also match up. Only the Chu family is currently impossible to investigate."

"Because of the invasion of the barbarian and demon races?"

“That’s right,” Lord Zuoqiu nodded. “Youzhou has been occupied by the barbarians, so we can’t go and investigate the Chu family’s affairs for the time being.”

Ji You couldn't help but glance towards the northwest through the back window: "Speaking of the attack by the barbarian and demon races, Palace Master Zuoqiu doesn't seem nervous at all."

"They won't keep heading south."

Zuo Qiuyang stroked the table and said, "The barbarian and demon races have long lived in the frigid far north. Their numbers are small. The vast northern border and Youyun Province are enough to fulfill their vision of returning to the Nine Provinces. Moreover, they still fear the power of the sacred artifact and will not easily enter the heartland."

Taking advantage of the human race's weakness, the barbarian and demon races forcibly crossed the northern city wall, catching the human race off guard.

However, the existence of sacred artifacts by humans remains an insurmountable obstacle for them.

The reason they conquered Youyun and Youyun was because the Demon Emperor and the Barbarian Emperor confirmed that the Xuan Yuan Sect Leader was dead, but they would definitely not dare to go south again in the short term.

“But now that the barbarians and demons have returned to the Nine Provinces, they will never be satisfied with just the Youyun and Youyun Provinces.”

"That's true, but the problem is that the human race suffered heavy losses after the disaster and needs a period of recuperation before they can be driven out of the northern border again."

"..."

After noon, Ji You sat upright in a wheelchair and was pushed out of Zizai Hall by Ding Yao, heading down the mountain.

After learning the details of the disaster from Lord Zuoqiu, his feelings were extremely complicated.

In his view, the root of this problem was indeed greed, but it did not only originate from the Chu family and the Li family, but from the entire world.

The Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion's greed for the Seven Apertures Exquisite Body led to the Chu family's surging hatred, and the long-standing class division also led to the ambition of aristocratic families like the Bai family, not to mention the immortal sect elders' thirst for longevity.

Therefore, it's really hard to say who is right and who is wrong.

Ji You turned her head slightly and saw that Ding Yao was also silent for a while, so she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Ding Yao regained her senses slightly: "After hearing the whole story, I suddenly realized that this seemingly peaceful world has always been hiding dangers. Perhaps the person who brushes past you has a turbulent heart."

"The outcome is good in the end."

"Ah."

Ji You turned her gaze back to the red sun under the autumn sky.

The calamity has passed, but the problem is that if the destiny of the Heavenly Dao bound to the human race is truly severed, it will not be as simple as just liberating the ruins.

As the two pondered, they walked down the mountain and saw three stewards of the management office standing on the mountain path.

The three of them compiled the confessions of the captured demons, so they knew very well what role Chu He played in this matter.

Recalling how they had received the promise from the Chu family to send them to their deaths in Qiling, a chill ran down their spines.

It was precisely because the entire chain of events was completed, revealing a situation that almost overturned the entire world, that they realized just how formidable Ji You was, who had repeatedly nipped the seeds of disaster in the bud.

However, Ji You's attention was not on them, but on the disciples of the academy behind them who were repairing the road with shovels.

Seeing this, Ji You frowned slightly, her expression somewhat strange.

"Road construction has begun." Ding Yao was also somewhat surprised.

"It's probably because that sorcerer damaged a lot of buildings when he came, so he repaired them along the way," Ji You replied.

Ding Yao nodded: "Shall we go back to the Auspicious Palace now?"

After thinking for a moment, Ji You shook her head: "I've been cooped up in the room for too long. Let me go out for a walk."

"Then where are we going?"

"Let's go sit in Instructor Cao's courtyard and see if he has any good stuff there."

Ding Yao nodded, and then pushed Ji You down the mountain to Cao Jingsong's courtyard.

As soon as Ji You entered the courtyard, he saw Cao Jingsong, with his large chest puffed out, going in and out of the room, taking out all the necessary items, packing them in wooden boxes, and carrying them into the courtyard.

Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu were also there, helping out with some of the disciples in charge of affairs.

In addition, there were Instructor Ma, Instructor Ding, and several other instructors. They did not take any action, but simply kept watching the people going in and out of the house and courtyard.

Looking inside from the foyer, the house had been completely emptied, with only some cheap furniture remaining.

Wen Zhengxin walked over carrying a box and asked Ji You, "Junior brother, how are you feeling?"

"She's still a bit weak. What's wrong with Instructor Cao? Is she going to be expelled from the Heavenly Academy?"

"Pooh!"

Cao Jingsong strode over and said in a loud voice, "I received a notice from the Elders' Council yesterday that I have been promoted to Inner Court Elder and will be moving to the mountain to live today."

Upon hearing this, the most complicated expressions were those of Instructor Ding and Instructor Ma.

In the past two or three years, the two of them had not recruited any outstanding students and had been focusing on cultivating Taoism. They entered Yingtian earlier than Cao Jingsong, but their status was still that of instructors.

Because mastering the Heavenly Art is not an easy thing; sometimes it takes even more time than breaking through to a higher realm.

But to everyone's surprise, Cao Jingsong became an elder first, and even had his name signed as an elder in the Elders' Pavilion.

They were well aware that this did not conform to normal procedures, but they could understand why this result occurred.

The two looked at Ji You with complicated expressions, thinking that it was not uncommon for a mother to gain status through her son in aristocratic families, but it was the first time they had seen a master gain status through his disciple.

Five years ago, they mocked Cao Jingsong for bringing back a private repairman from the countryside. Little did they know that things would turn out this way five years later.

"You've condensed your understanding of the Heavenly Dao into a magical technique?"

"No," Cao Jingsong said frankly, waving his hand.

Ji You stared at Instructor Cao's chest, which had exploded, for a long time, and then thought of the mountain road that had suddenly been repaired.

That's strange, why do I feel like I'm the one who succeeded as the sect leader?
……

Under the blazing autumn sun, a high cliff stands before the Zizai Hall.

Zuo Qiuyang and You Yingqiu were standing side by side, looking down.

After continuous repairs by the disciples of the Headquarters, the original deep pit was gradually filled and neatly repaired, and the entire mountain road gradually became flat. Steps were even dug out in places that were too steep.

Seeing this, Zuo Qiuyang couldn't help but turn to look at his junior sister: "Although Master said to listen to Ji You's decisions more, he didn't say that we have to listen to everything, did he? It's one thing that Cao Jingsong was promoted to elder as soon as he entered Yingtian, but to listen to the road repair? He can't sit in that wheelchair for long."

"Senior brother, you may not know this, but according to the descriptions in the Heavenly Secrets Technique, there are no small matters in the world."

You Yingqiu spoke softly, “When my master was alive, he told me a story. He said that a butterfly in Lingzhou flapped its wings and changed the surrounding airflow. Several days later, this airflow stirred up a powerful hurricane in Zhongzhou. The hole we fill today may be filled into the Heavenly Dao tomorrow, just like when Chu He entered my Heavenly Academy, no one could have imagined that there was a risk of overthrowing the world behind it.”

"..."

“That makes sense.” Zuo Qiuyang was suddenly convinced.

What did Ji You talk about with his senior brother today?

"We found out the ins and outs of this disaster, as well as the fact that they severed the human race's destiny in the sacred land of the ancients."

You Yingqiu nodded gently after hearing this, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Just as Ji You was concerned about, after learning that the human race's fortune had been severed, everyone felt that it would not be as simple as just liberating the ruins, because when a race loses its fortune, it will inevitably overthrow the entire Qingyun, just like when the remnant race was destroyed.

"I will be going into seclusion tomorrow, and I will have to ask my senior brother to be more lenient with me regarding sect affairs."

"You intend to secretly cultivate the art of celestial secrets?"

“That’s right. No matter what happens next, I must first perfect my Heavenly Secrets Technique so that I can see clearly what my master wants me to see.”

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)