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Chapter 370 The Turmoil in Shengjing
Zhongzhou, a sacred land of ancient sages.

As the robbers quickly departed, the forest returned to silence.

But this silence did not last long before waves of immortal sect members roared in.

First was the Chen Clan, which was relatively close; then came the Shan Hai Pavilion, separated from Zhongzhou by the vast Qingzhou; next was Lingjian Mountain, located in the far south of the Nine Provinces on the shore of the Xuanhai Sea; and finally, the Yuzhou Daowen Sect, which was the furthest away from here.

The disciples of the four sects arrived one after another, and lingered among the dense cracks for a long time, their eyes flickering.

After observing the space, which was riddled with cracks and resembled a shattered mirror, they quickly went to the Central Plains families where they had fought in the forest.

"Is it a wisp of celestial light that flowed out after the sacred site of the ancient sages cracked open?"

"Indeed, although I do not know what it is, I can see that it is full of divine energy and has a powerful Daoist charm. Just getting close to it makes me feel that my mind is extremely clear."

"How does it compare to the Sun and Moon Essence Stone that appeared in the Northern Territory ten years ago?" Shang Xingkong, the vice sect leader of the Dao Asking Sect, stood with his hands behind his back in the hall and asked in a completely emotionless tone.

Upon hearing this, the Jiao family patriarch cupped his hands in greeting: "The Sun and Moon Essence Stone is merely a gathering of spiritual energy, but the Immortal Spirit transcends all laws. I only briefly touched it and felt as if I had sensed the breakthrough opportunity that I had been striving for for thirty years without success. This item must have a great origin, and most importantly..."

"The most crucial one?"

"Most importantly, after returning from the Holy Land, some disciples in the clan reported that when I held that immortal spirit in my hand, their auras also increased significantly for some reason, as if they had been propelled to new realms by external forces. If I hadn't controlled it for such a short time, some of my family members might have broken through to new realms because of it..."

"???"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Dao Asking Sect widened their eyes instantly, their expressions revealing disbelief.

Cultivation has always been a solitary endeavor. They had never heard of such a description before, nor had they ever heard of any spiritual treasure throughout history that could possess abilities shared by the entire clan. They felt that this was simply a fantasy.

The problem is that the old patriarch of the Jiao family did not seem to be faking it.

In fact, the mountains and forests were in chaos at the time, with not only powerful families fighting over the spoils, but also the barbarian and demon clans getting involved.

The Jiao family patriarch was on edge, dodging the killing intent while keeping a close eye on the immortal spirit, and had no time to care about the affairs of the accompanying disciples.

He only learned what he had missed after returning and hearing the report from his disciples.

At the same time, the group from the Dao Asking Sect couldn't help but stare intently and began to talk in hushed tones.

Although the Jiao family is backed by the Chen Immortal Clan, that is only their reliance in the struggle between aristocratic families, not their absolute loyalty to the Chen Clan. Therefore, the Daoist Sect believes that he should not dare to exaggerate.

Furthermore, they had anticipated this before they came here.

Something capable of radiating divine light and illuminating the entire Qingyun Mountain in an instant could not possibly be just a simple spiritual treasure.

Moreover, the place they came from was the oldest place of revival for humankind, the supreme place where the first sages communicated with the Dao of Heaven.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through everyone's minds.

"When my Jiao family ventured deep into the dense forest and saw that immortal spirit, we immediately realized that this matter was of great importance. We reached a consensus with the He family, the Zuoqiu family, and the You family to hand it over to the Immortal Sect."

"Unexpectedly, Ji You snatched the item away and disappeared without a word."

"The Left Hall Master of the Heavenly Academy had already come to the mountains and forests at that time, but he did not meet him. However, he cut off the supply of spirit stones and attempted to destroy the tax. He has always been bold and disrespectful to the immortal sects, so it is not surprising that he would do such a thing."

All the questions that needed to be asked have been asked, and all the descriptions that needed to be made have been made. This topic should have ended here.

However, the Jiao family patriarch spoke up once again, offering an explanation for the entire incident.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xingkong turned his head and looked down at the Jiao family patriarch.

He knew that this person surnamed Jiao wanted to distance himself from his family, fearing that something might happen later and he would get burned.

After pondering for a long time, the Daoist sect member left the Jiao family's territory without saying a word, heading west.

The appearance of the immortal spirits not only triggered unusual celestial phenomena visible throughout the Nine Provinces, but also brought about a massive upheaval of the earth, though the tremors were not strong, the impact of which was extremely widespread. Naturally, the news could not be kept secret.

So overnight, all sorts of rumors and gossip spread like wildfire.

Many of these reports originated from the Zhongzhou aristocratic families. Although some parts were embellished, they did not stray too far from the truth.

So it didn't take long for many people to know what had happened the night before.

It seems there's something wrong with the sacred site of the ancients. A divine treasure has appeared in the world, causing a struggle for it and even attracting the covetousness of barbarians and demons.

In the end, Ji You snatched the item, and the demon general who was chasing him was defeated and fled, while the barbarian king was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

The news was summarized in just two simple sentences, yet it triggered countless silences.

Since the beginning of spring, spring plowing has begun in the land of Kyushu. Everyone knows that Ji You is at home farming. Fang Jincheng often brings up this matter to make sarcastic remarks, saying that his cultivation of immortality is a waste of his talent and that he should go to the Great Xia to serve as an agricultural official.

But after hearing what happened last night, they had no choice but to accept reality.

That is, although Ji You behaves like a country landlord, it is just his way of doing things. Once he takes action, he is still a powerful figure among cultivators who can turn the tide.

"What level is the Barbarian King?"

"The initial stage is comparable to the Boundless Realm, while the peak stage allows for battle and divine travel. That general is named Danba, and his combat strength should be between the two."

"What exactly went wrong with that sacred site of the ancient sages?"

"The major families all gave vague answers to this matter and were unwilling to say more. As for the mountain forest where the sacred site of the sages is located, it is guarded by the disciples of the Heavenly Academy and cannot be approached. However, even if we cannot see it, we can tell that this is probably not a good thing."

"Since Ji You obtained the items from the sacred site of the ancient sages, will his combat power increase greatly again?"

"That's impossible to say for sure, because I've heard that even the Immortal Sect doesn't know what that thing is."

Inside Hongding Tower, the discussion about this matter continued all day long.

After discussing what happened last night, many people turned to speculation, wondering what had happened at the sacred site of the sages, what the miraculous use of the immortal spirit was, and whether the human race would react to the barbarian and demon races.

As they were discussing, figures began to land on Changsheng Street.

Disciples of the Chen Clan Immortal Clan, disciples of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, disciples of the Spirit Sword Mountain, and disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect.

Such a scene of immortal sects gathering together was something they had only seen before at the Heavenly Dao Assembly and the Immortal Tour Assembly, and they couldn't help but watch for a long time.

However, after entering the city, they did not stay at the Immortal Garden, nor did they go to the Heavenly Academy, which was also an Immortal Sect. Instead, they went to the Immortal Supervisory Office of the Great Xia government, which puzzled people and made them unclear about their destination.

Zuo Qiuyang had already returned to the Heavenly Academy and was sitting quietly in the library, examining countless ancient books about the sacred sites of the ancient sages, confirming his guesses.

Those who have reached the peak of the five realms have profound spiritual insight, and in the blink of an eye, they have finished reading a stack of books that looks like a small mountain.

"Bring me a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

"Yes."

The three masters of the academy immediately instructed their disciples to bring the writing implements, place them on the table, and grind ink for them.

After a while, as the ink block was ground and mixed with water, Zuo Qiuyang rolled up his sleeves, pinched the brush, filled the tip with ink, pondered for a long time, and then began to write.

However, after writing three or four sentences, the brush stopped.

After pondering for a long time, Zuo Qiuyang crumpled the letter into a ball and started a new one to rewrite.

At that moment, the three stewards standing behind him saw the name Ji You in the first line and their expressions became complicated.

The disciple who happened to be admitted to the academy back then is now someone to whom the temple master has to carefully consider the wording and ponder the meaning of his letters.

rustling-

Zuo Qiuyang picked up his pen and rewrote it, and the content gradually appeared on the paper.

They probably wanted to invite Ji You back to the hospital so they could discuss something with her.

He knew that Ji You didn't trust the Immortal Sect much, and even the Heavenly Academy, so he was very careful with his words to avoid suspicion.

He finished writing, then flicked his sleeve to summon a gentle breeze to dry the ink, folded the letter into a square, put it in an envelope, and handed it to Qin Rong behind him.

“Send it to Fengzhou and give it to Ji You.”

"Yes."

Qin Rong held the letter in his hand, then headed out the door with the other two palace masters.

Just as they were descending the mountain, an official from the Directorate of Immortals hurried by, brushed past them, and then bowed before the Hall of Freedom, asking a disciple outside the hall to announce that he wished to pay his respects to Zuo Qiuyang.

Upon hearing the announcement, Zuo Qiuyang rose from behind his desk and stepped outside.

"Lord Zuoqiu."

"The Directorate of Immortals? What brings you here?"

The official from the Immortal Administration bowed and handed over two invitations: "The Chen Clan, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, the Dao Seeking Sect, and the Spirit Sword Mountain will hold a Dao discussion in Shengjing in two days. We invite the Heavenly Academy to participate. This first invitation is an invitation letter, and the other is a list of invitees."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Qiuyang reached out and took the two invitations from his hands, then casually opened the first one.

The post was not written in the name of the Directorate of Immortals, but in the name of the Vice Headmaster of the Daoist Sect.

According to the post, since the Chu, Li, Zhuang, and Zhu families were all executed, the Qingyun Immortal Sect has been in a semi-closed-door state, recuperating and rebuilding, with no communication between its members. If this continues, with everyone operating independently, the human race may not be able to unite.

Now that the barbarian and demon races have occupied the Youyun and Youyun states and seized human territory, they should negotiate a countermeasure with the Great Xia.

Furthermore, the cracking of the sacred site of the ancestors is a serious matter and should be discussed in detail.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Qiuyang glanced briefly at Shengjing in the distance.

In fact, what Shang Xingkong said is quite right. So much time has passed since the disaster, it is time for the major immortal sects to meet. Otherwise, suspicion will inevitably arise, and the remaining six states of the human race will continue to be divided.

At that time, internal and external troubles will likely continue indefinitely.

The problem is that the location for this inquiry was chosen to be Shengjing.

Logically speaking, if the Daoist Sect wants to discuss the Dao of the world, the venue should be in Yuzhou, not at the entrance of the Heavenly Academy.

Therefore, this matter is definitely not that simple.

As expected, when Zuo Qiuyang opened the second post, everything became clear.

This Daoist discussion invited many high-ranking members of the Heavenly Academy, from You Yingqiu to himself, to some elders in the sect, and some outstanding disciples in the inner courtyard, all arranged in descending order of status.

Only the first name was not in accordance with etiquette or rank; it was written as "Ji You," placed before his junior sister.

As expected, in addition to exchanges between immortal sects, they also had things that appeared for the sacred land of the ancient sages.

Zuo Qiuyang fixed his gaze on the screen and tightened his fingers slightly.

On his way back from Zhongzhou, all the disciples who had watched the battle at the sacred site of the sages wrote reports and presented them to him.

Several disciples made very interesting observations, saying that when they used their divine senses to observe, they discovered that when the Zhao family patriarch grasped the immortal spirit, the Zhao family members in the room also experienced a continuous rise in their aura.

In addition, members of the Jiao, He, and You families all had this reaction.

He knew that thing wasn't used that way, but it could be used this way.

The discussion on Dao is indeed a good idea. In this way, those immortal sects can stay in Shengjing legitimately, and even bring all the powerful figures in their sects here one after another.

After the calamity caused by the ancient aristocratic families, the consensus reached among the major immortal sects was to recuperate and try to avoid conflict, but this did not mean that conflict would definitely not occur.

After all, the effects obtained from that thing might be even more tempting than the immortal treasures of the ruins.

hum-

Fengzhou, Jizhai.

As the golden light, like a swimming fish, floated into the air, the silent courtyard was suddenly filled with divine light, stirring up a huge gust of wind.

Ji You and Kuang Cheng stood together under the eaves, observing the celestial spirit for a long time.

"Is this what Brother Ji snatched back last night?"

"good."

"It's a treasure of heaven and earth, but what is its purpose?"

Ji You shook his head upon hearing this.

He returned to Fengzhou this morning and began to study the object. When he explored it with his divine sense, he felt that the power contained within it was as vast as the Xuanhai Sea. Just by getting close, he felt his Dao heart become clear and his divine sense reach the heavens.

However, it is not refined by spiritual energy, and no matter what means are used, it is difficult to change its current state.

He had a vague idea of ​​what it was, but he couldn't be sure.

Just then, Old Qiu hurried over from the front yard, holding a letter in his hand, and handed it to Ji You.

"Young Master, a letter from the Heavenly Academy."

"What did you say?"

"It seems they're asking the young master to go back."

Ji You reached out and took the letter, then glanced at its contents.

Kuang Cheng glanced at it as well, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked, "Did you call me back to the Heavenly Academy because of this?"

"A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. Some things are not enough to just take them; you must be able to keep them. This has been the rule of Qingyun for thousands of years."

“But during the time Brother Ji was unconscious, I observed that the attitude of Tian Academy seemed to value Brother Ji highly. I don’t think they would go so far as to take action against him.”

“But the Heavenly Academy isn’t the only immortal sect in the world. I bet Zuo Qiuyang isn’t the only one waiting for me in Shengjing.” Ji You said, putting the letter away.

After listening, Kuang Cheng raised his head and asked, "Then what are your plans, Brother Ji?"

“Hiding and not responding isn’t a solution. It’s not like they can’t come to Fengzhou. I should go and meet them. Besides, I have something to say to Zuo Qiuyang. Maybe he wants to talk to me about the same thing.”

"Then I'll return to the capital with Brother Ji."

Kuang Cheng said softly, "It just so happens that Rui'er said a few days ago that she missed home and wanted to go back to visit."

Ji You snapped out of her daze upon hearing this, glanced at him, and said, "Send Wei Rui home? Tsk tsk tsk, I'd be embarrassed if it were me."

Why are you embarrassed?

“I brought her back before the New Year, and after living with her for so long, she still has a slender waist and her belly isn’t big. If it were me, I would feel so embarrassed.”

"I shouldn't have asked that question..."

Kuang Cheng muttered, "When do we set off?"

Ji You waved his hand and recalled the fairy spirit: "Tomorrow, I haven't been back to Shengjing for a long time. Let's set off after breakfast at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

After chatting in the courtyard, the two parted ways. Kuang Cheng went to the side room to find Wei Rui and informed her of his return to the capital the next day.

The stars and moon revolve, and dawn breaks in the east.

After having breakfast, Ji You, Kuang Cheng, and Wei Rui gathered in front of the mansion gate.

At that moment, the curtains of the carriage that had been prepared in advance were already lifted, waiting for the three of them to enter.

Ji You had a storage gourd, and he always kept his luggage inside it, but this time he had an extra bundle in his hand.

"The houses in Chunfeng Lane have remained unrepaired since they were destroyed?"

Upon hearing this sudden question, Kuang Cheng turned his head and said, "The disaster in Qingyun resulted in the failure to collect taxes last year, and the Great Xia cannot pay salaries in full. I have not yet raised enough money to repair my house."

When the Chu family demon came to the Heavenly Academy to seize the sacred artifact, he failed and tried to escape, but was knocked down as soon as he stepped out of Mount Ni.

At that time, a whole row of houses in Chunhua Lane collapsed as a result, including Kuang Cheng's house.

Later, after returning to the capital from Lingjian Mountain, he had no money to repair the place, so he stayed at the home of Mu Jing, the supervisor of the Supervisory Office. To this day, that place is still a ruin.

"You're a civil servant, yet you can't even afford to build a house."

After muttering something, Ji You handed the bundle in her hand to him.

Kuang Cheng subconsciously reached out to take it, and felt that it was heavy, with many stone-like objects bouncing around as Ji You moved.

"Go back and fix up the house. Don't keep staying at your colleague's house; it's really inconvenient."

"Why are there so many?"

“It’s not much. Over the years, you’ve personally handled everything in Fengzhou. You’ve earned a lot just from selling grain during the winter. You can’t spend it all, you simply can’t spend it all. This portion is already quite a bit of what I’ve saved up.”

Upon hearing this, Kuang Cheng's lips twitched slightly, but he did not continue to refuse.

After returning to Shengjing, he couldn't continue living in his colleague's house. Even though he had a good relationship with Mu Jing, his family would eventually get tired of it, so house repairs were necessary.

The three then boarded the carriage, and with a neigh from the horse, the carriage was slowly pulled away.

Fengzhou is not very close to Shengjing. It takes two whole days to travel by carriage and change ferries, crossing the entire Central Plains.

In the past two days, Shengjing has become exceptionally lively due to the Daoist debate among the immortal sects.

In the several immortal gardens of the Great Xia Dynasty, disciples from the five sects would discuss the Dao, and it was not uncommon for them to directly engage in combat when they disagreed.

Upon hearing this news, members of prominent families from various regions came to join them.

At the beginning, the disciples who participated in the Dao discussion were mostly those with low cultivation levels, with most of them still in the lower three realms. They could only watch the excitement. Later, those with higher cultivation levels gradually appeared.

However, none of the important figures considered to be the foundation of the immortal sects appeared, seemingly waiting for something.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)