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Chapter 381 The Martyr's Monument on Dan Mountain

The hour of Wei (1-3 PM) passed in the blink of an eye, and the agreed-upon hour of Shen (3-5 PM) had arrived.

The immortal sect members, who were chatting idly, were packing their bags when suddenly a buzzing sound began to echo throughout the mountain.

Looking up into the distance, the array in the sky, which resembled an inverted bowl on the mountaintop, slowly opened a gap on one side, stirring up endless waves of wind that roared along the mountain ridge.

Suddenly, waves of earth surged among the grass and trees, like gray clouds suddenly expanding and then rapidly falling, rising and falling continuously all the way to the foot of the mountain.

"The mountain is now open. Disciples of all sects, follow us up the mountain."

"Yes!"

At the command of the accompanying elders, many disciples of the immortal sects rose and headed towards the top of Dan Mountain.

Ji You walked ahead, still wearing the Heavenly Academy's immortal robe, followed by Gongshu Chou, who was constantly writing and gathering material.

That despicable online novel author should be dumped as soon as possible after joining the Dan Sect.

You were a notorious bandit, so you dare to write my biography so casually?

He thought to himself and walked along the mountain, and the gate of the Dan Sect gradually appeared in front of him.

At this moment, countless figures had gathered behind the mountain gate. They were all disciples of the Dan Sect who had come from the mountain, as well as relatives and aristocratic families who had been recuperating in the Dan Sect.

Hundreds of people stood solemnly in rows along the nine-tiered steps, their eyes deep and serious.

As Ji You ascended the Danzong Mountain Gate, the eyes of these people suddenly began to flicker, and then they clasped their hands and bowed deeply to him, not raising their heads for a long time.

So with each step he took, those behind him would also bow down, and from a distance, it looked like waves, one after another.

Ji You was extremely unaccustomed to this treatment, so he returned the greeting with a cupped hand and quickened his pace.

As he ascended the mountain first, the disciples of the immortal sects behind him unconsciously straightened their chests.

In fact, they were quite unhappy while waiting at the foot of the mountain, feeling that the Dan Sect was putting on too high an air.

Before the mountain gate was even opened, they were told that they had to stay near the Jade Balance Hall and were not allowed to wander around on their own, as if they were being guarded against thieves.

As members of a celestial sect, they were arrogant in front of all the powerful families in the world. Who had ever been treated like this before? So it was normal for them to feel a little resentful.

However, upon seeing the entire mountainside bowing in reverence, they instantly felt at peace, and even began to feel somewhat flattered.

In their view, although the Dan Sect did not cultivate the Heavenly Dao and had no combat power, it was still one of the seven great immortal sects. Sending so many disciples to welcome them was already considered to be very courteous, so why did they have to bow and scrape along the way?

But they soon realized they had misunderstood.

Because whenever Ji You walked along the mountain path, the Dan Sect disciples he passed would immediately stand up and look at them with gloomy expressions.

The disciples of the Immortal Sect who were going up the mountain were slightly taken aback, and then their eyes widened.

They suddenly realized that the worship all over the mountain was not for them, but for Ji You alone.

He Lingxiu exchanged glances with Shi Junhao, Chai Ze, Yu Shiliu, and others, a hint of confusion flashing in their eyes.

In a flurry of activity, all the people sent by the five major immortal sects arrived at the mountain.

At that moment, before the replica three-legged furnace, Danyangzi appeared, dressed in a crimson robe, and led several of his seated disciples to greet him.

Soon, everyone was taken to the Jade Balance Hall.

The large hall was filled with round tables, on which food and wine were prepared.

"You have come from afar, you must be tired. Please rest well today."

"Enjoy the food and drinks here as you please. There are guest rooms prepared at the rear. You can rest after you have eaten and drunk your fill, but please do not wander around on your own."

"Our Dan Sect Master is currently in seclusion, and given that you are all tired from your journey, it is not appropriate for you to come to see me. So let's make some arrangements for now, and we will inform you of tomorrow's matters tomorrow."

The members of the five major immortal sects traveled non-stop, only taking a short rest in between, and were indeed quite tired from their journey.

Moreover, the sect leader of the immortal sect is not someone you can just meet whenever you want. You need to be properly dressed and well-rested. This is a very common arrangement. So after Danyangzi finished speaking, everyone sat down to eat.

After giving his instructions, Danyangzi walked from the depths of the main hall to the hall gate, and came to Ji You's side, bowing slightly.

"Young Master Ji, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Your elegance remains unchanged."

"Elder Yang, you're too kind." Ji You returned the greeting with clasped hands.

After Danyangzi returned the greeting, he straightened up and said, "The Dan Sect has been secluded for a long time and knows little about the outside world. After seeing the post, I was asked to ask Young Master Ji for help. Please come with me, Young Master Ji."

Ji You nodded and followed him.

However, just as the two were walking out, Gongshu Chou stepped forward and followed.

Seeing this, Danyangzi looked at Ji You and asked, "I wonder who this is...?"

“The five major immortal sects sent people to monitor me, and every move they make is recorded.”

A question mark flashed in Gongshu Chou's eyes. He thought to himself, "This is slander. I'm just a novelist!"
Upon hearing this, Danyangzi's expression changed instantly: "Fellow Daoist, you should rest well in the Jade Balance Hall. If you do not follow our arrangements, do not blame my Dan Sect for being rude!"

"Did you hear me? Just eat your food. Writing books won't lead to anything!"

"I……"

Ji You ignored his refrain of addressing him as "you" or "me," and with a wave of his sleeve, followed Danyangzi out of the Yuheng Palace, heading west towards the Tian Shu Palace.

The two halls are not far apart, and it would only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get there. However, they were delayed a bit when they passed a huge white jade stele.

At that moment, Ji You stood in the warm sunlight, looked up at the stone tablet, and gently clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.

After the ceremony was over, his gaze fell on the statue not far from the stone tablet: "This... is quite similar, but it's too high-profile and doesn't deserve such a grand ceremony."

“It was drawn by Caiwei herself. She personally supervises the disciples’ carving every day. Although our Dan Sect is weak, it is a sect that will always remember the pain.”

“Living in constant suffering is very depressing.”

"Young Master Ji is right, but this should keep us on our guard..."

As the two talked, they headed towards the Tian Shu Hall. Just as they crossed the threshold of the hall, a shout of "Brother-in-law!" rang out from inside.

Yuan Chen was in the hall at this time, standing side by side with his elder sister. He was overjoyed when he saw Ji You arrive.

Yuan Caiwei was also gazing at Ji You, her red lips slightly pursed and her eyes filled with a hint of joy.

However, due to the presence of Elder Danxingzi, who was setting up a banquet in the hall, as well as the sect leader's disciples Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, and Yuan Bingqing, they did not show too much longing out of courtesy, but simply called out "Young Master" softly.

Ji You exchanged a glance with her and then smiled slightly, thinking to himself that this girl seemed to have gained some weight, which meant that the food at the Pill Sect was quite good.

When Hong Zhen and Wen Bin saw the two of them looking at each other, they lowered their eyes. As for Yuan Bingqing, she kept staring at Ji You's face with curiosity.

"Master Yuan should have already seen my post. What are your thoughts?" Ji You asked after sitting up straight.

"To be honest, the sect leader is currently discussing this matter with the elders of the Dan Sect in his palace. There is still no result. However, the sect leader is most concerned about why the sacred ground of the sages cracked. Therefore, he asked me to ask you, young master, for an explanation."

"That's a long story..."

Upon hearing this, Dan Xingzi filled Ji You's wine cup: "Young Master Ji, as you know, our Dan Sect has been out of contact with the outside world for a long time, but we have seen tides of evil corpses, black light soaring into the sky, and strange changes in the skylight. We are very curious. Young Master Ji, please tell us slowly, so that we can find out what exactly happened."

Ji You did not delay, and picked out the parts that were easy to describe, and recounted the whole Qingyun disaster in a coherent manner.

This is a very captivating story because it involves ruins and a battle for sacred artifacts that has never been heard of for thousands of years. Anyone living in the Azure Cloud Realm will feel as if they are there when they hear it.

As expected, when they heard that someone had ascended to immortality through the ruins, used the essence of the sacred artifact to perform a ritual to sever the power of the Heavenly Dao, killed the Xuan Yuan Ancestor, and attempted to seize the sacred artifact, Hong Zhen and the others couldn't help but stare wide-eyed like copper bells.

As for Yuan Chen, he was filled with regret and frustration, feeling that he had been confined to the mountain for so long during this battle for immortality.

"Did the Chu family really use infants to refine medicine, bringing out the immortal destiny of the ruins, thus transforming them into evil beings and forcibly advancing their cultivation levels?"

"good."

Danyangzi remained silent for a long time: "Then the zombie horde was also started by them?"

Ji You nodded: "The frequent zombie hordes over the years are all their doing. Most of them are meant to confuse the public and conceal their actions, so that they have time to achieve their ultimate goal."

"So they severed the human race's destiny, which caused the cracks in the sacred land of the sages?"

"Ah."

Yuan Chen couldn't help but ask as he listened to their conversation, "Brother-in-law, you said they severed the connection between the sacred artifact and the Heavenly Dao by performing the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice, so what happened after that?"

Ji You looked at him: "The sacred artifact was restarted later. They lost everything. Except for some who were captured, the rest have been executed. But the wounds they left on Qingyun are still there, especially the Sacred Land of the Sages. It has become the biggest problem now, which is why the Pill Sect needs to help."

In just over a year, such earth-shattering events have occurred in Qingyun. This information becomes complex and chaotic as soon as it enters the mind, leaving one unable to react for a moment.

A sudden silence fell over the table as everyone struggled to process the information.

"I will report this matter to the sect leader truthfully and let him make a decision."

"Thank you, Elder Yang."

During the conversation, the meal at the Jade Balance Hall was coming to an end.

Some cultivators emerged from the hall, discussing amongst themselves.

The food provided by Danzong was quite good in terms of taste, but I never expected that the wine they served was not spirit wine.

It should be noted that the brewing technique of spirit wine originated from the Dan Sect. After being passed down and improved, it formed an improved version that does not require the participation of alchemists. Although the efficacy has been reduced, it has been able to be produced on a large scale, and the price has also dropped.

In other words, the spirit wine of the Dan Sect is actually the best. Its brewing process involves alchemy and alchemical light, and its effects are far superior to other spirit wines on the market.

Logically speaking, when guests come to your home, you should naturally bring out the best drinks to entertain them, but to your surprise, it was just ordinary drinks that can be found anywhere.

This made them realize once again that the Pill Sect did indeed harbor a vague hostility towards them. This attitude reminded them of the scene when the Pill Sect disciples bowed and kowtowed to Ji You on their way up the mountain, and they felt a surge of dissent.

"The difference in attitude towards us and towards Ji You is so obvious. Could it be because of that invitation that allows the Dan Sect disciples to go to other immortal sects for cultivation? But what does that have to do with him?"

"Yes, the reason why the five major immortal sects agreed to this matter is because only they can restore the sacred land of the sages. This is an inevitable trend. Ji You is just a messenger!"

"The Dan Sect is probably unreasonable, attributing everything to Ji You."

"How foolish! Don't they realize that even without Ji You, the five great immortal sects would still agree to restore the sacred land of their ancestors?"

He Lingxiu and Chai Ze had just come out of the Yuheng Hall and were deeply impressed by the obvious difference in the attitudes of closeness and distance. They were discussing the matter just like the people in front of them.

As they were talking, they suddenly noticed that the Lingjian Mountain disciples who had left earlier were now gathered on the north side, forming a circle.

Upon seeing this, the group paused slightly in surprise.

Because there was a large white stone tablet in front of the Lingjian Mountain disciples. The tablet was as wide as a hundred people and stood on the west side of the nine-step staircase, attracting the attention of all the cultivators around.

"What are they looking at?" Shi Junhao couldn't help but ask.

"There must be something written on that stone tablet."

"What's so interesting about this?"

He Lingxiu shook her head, then suddenly frowned: "No, I remember when I came here last time, the Dan Sect didn't have such a big stone tablet."

Chai Ze turned his head upon hearing the voice: "When was the last time?"

"When the Qiling incident occurred, the disciples of Lingjian Mountain attacked the disciples of Tianshu Academy without any mercy. Therefore, You Buyu and I were ordered to go to Lingzhou to inquire about the Dao. At that time, Danzong and Tianshu Academy wanted to form a marriage alliance, so we came to Danshan with You Buyu. But this stone tablet was not there at that time."

"?"

The three exchanged a glance, then walked towards the stone tablet.

Jiang Yan, Yan Qiubai, and other members of the immortal sect who came out first also saw the stone tablet, and soon couldn't resist their curiosity and crowded around it.

When the first three large characters on the stone tablet came into their view, they were immediately stunned.

[Monument to Martyrs]

Martyrdom is not a positive word; it represents an act of sacrificing oneself for morality or one's beliefs. In other words, this stone tablet is a tombstone commemorating the dead.

As everyone looked down from those three large characters, they saw countless names densely packed together.

Bie Shaoyu, Bie Yonghuai... Xu Rui, Xu Xiuwen... Jin Zicheng, Jin Weifeng, Jin Jinyu... Jing Yutang, Jing Lang...

They didn't recognize most of these names, but they could tell from the surnames that these were all members of the Dan Sect's related families by marriage.

"How could so many people from the Dan Sect's in-law families suddenly die? When did this happen?"

"Look down..."

Everyone looked down at the end of the stone tablet and saw that it was inscribed with the words "Spring of the fourth year of Taiwu, a memorial to the heroic souls who fell for protecting the Daoist Danzong, wishing that the deceased would receive heavenly grace, rest in peace, and attain a state of auspiciousness and freedom."

In the spring of the fourth year of Taiwu, the day the Dan Sect announced the closure of the mountain, the words "protectors of the Dao" indicate that they died for the Dan Sect.

No wonder the Dan Sect suddenly announced the closure of the mountain and immediately activated the great formation; it turns out that a war had broken out on Dan Mountain.

But the Dan Sect is one of the seven great immortal sects. Who would dare to kill so many people on Dan Mountain?

At this moment, someone suddenly remembered the attitude of the Dan Sect towards them since they came up the mountain, and couldn't help but wonder, their heart sinking.

"Let's see if there's anything else behind."

"The inscription ends there, so it should be over..."

The Lingjian Mountain disciples who were the first to finish reading the stone tablet talked as they turned to walk behind it.

The group stood before the vast stone tablet, waiting for the result. However, after waiting for a long time, there was still no news, and the person did not return.

While they were wondering what was going on, two more disciples from Lingjian Mountain headed west, bypassing the large stone tablet and heading to the back, but they didn't return either.

The disciples from various sects in front of the stone tablet couldn't help but exchange glances, realizing that there seemed to be something behind the stone tablet. So they all moved their feet and went around the stone tablet.

The disciples of Lingjian Mountain who had previously bypassed the stone tablet were now standing quietly on the south side of the tablet, their eyes slightly narrowed.

Following their gaze, everyone saw a spacious white jade Taoist temple behind the stone tablet.

The altar was empty except for a single stone statue.

It was a young man, standing on a boulder, his right hand gripping a three-foot-long sword. His clothes were tattered, as if he had just survived a brutal battle. He was now raising his arm in a sword stance, his eyes slightly narrowed into a straight line, filled with a magnificent determination.

The stone statue was carved with such exquisite detail that even though it was an inanimate object, it still exuded a sense of awe.

But deterrence is secondary; what matters is that they know the people depicted in the statue.

They even thought the stone statue was so lifelike that it seemed to subtly convey the spirit of the statue.

The disciples of the Heavenly Academy were the first to show a dazed expression.

"Why would the Dan Sect erect a statue of Ji You in their own dojo?" Yu Shiliu asked, looking at the familiar face with confusion.

All seven major immortal sects have similar statues, but they are rare. Apart from the sect leaders of each generation, they have never seen anyone else's statue erected in their own sect.

Therefore, they couldn't give Yu Shiliu an answer because they themselves were also confused.

The fact that there is no answer does not stop people from searching for one.

As the words fell, the crowd began to walk toward the statue.

The closer they got to the statue, the more lifelike it seemed to them, even down to the proportions.

However, their attention was quickly drawn away from the statue and to the stone tablet embedded in the base.

"In the spring of the fourth year of Taiwu, the Daodao Sect, Shanhai Pavilion, Xuanyuan Immortal Mansion, Chen Clan Immortal Clan, and Tianjian Peak of Lingjian Mountain led their forces to invade the mountain, intending to rob alchemists. They slaughtered many people under cover of night."

"The relatives and clans of the Dan Sect fought bravely to help, but they were ultimately no match for the enemy. Their arrows reached the sect leader's bedroom, and the situation was extremely precarious."

"At that time, Ji You, a cultivator from Fengzhou, appeared with his sword and killed Chu Hong, a powerful expert of the Wujiang realm, Chen Ke, Yan Jingfu, Huo Yu, and Shang Que. His sword shook the four directions."

"Upon hearing this, the disciples of the five sects turned pale, their hearts turned to ashes, and they abandoned their armor and fled in defeat, like stray dogs."

“In the autumn of the fourth year of Taiwu, a majestic statue was erected here to forever guard the mountains.”

Under the warm afternoon sun, a gentle breeze lingered around the mountains.

The disciples of the five major immortal sects stood under the gaze of the stone statue, silent for a long time, their eyes fixed.

It wasn't because of the letter that permitted the disciples of the Dan Sect to cultivate immortality, nor because of the promises of the five great immortal sects. Whether it was opening up new sects or treating them differently, it wasn't what they thought.

More than a year ago, the Dan Sect was besieged by the five great immortal sects. Ji You killed five Wujiang, resisted the immortal sects' invasion, and killed his way through the mountains, thus protecting the Dan Sect.

The crowd remained silent for a long time, their expressions utterly dazed, their thoughts instantly drawn back to the spring of the fourth year of Taiwu.

At that time, the Dan Sect suddenly announced the closure of its mountain, which shocked the world. However, they soon discovered that other immortal sects that relied on elixirs for cultivation did not immediately go to Liangzhou to demand an explanation, but instead came to the Heavenly Academy together.

Then they searched for Kuang Cheng, but found he was not there. They then went to look for Wei Rui, who had an affair with Kuang Cheng, but still couldn't find her. So they sent people to Fengzhou.

All of this indicates that Ji You has angered the Immortal Sect and is being pursued by the world.

However, at the subsequent Immortal Tour Gathering, when all the immortal sects gathered, Ji You arrived openly and honestly, and no one from the other immortal sects dared to speak up.

They didn't know why at the time; it wasn't until now that they found the answer.

That was an extremely despicable thing, something that no other immortal sect had the face to talk about openly. They could only resort to assassination, and couldn't suppress it directly.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the phrase "Kill the Boundless Powerhouse Chu Hong, kill the Boundless Powerhouse Chen Ke, kill the Boundless Powerhouse Yan Jingfu, kill the Boundless Powerhouse Huo Yu, kill the Boundless Powerhouse Shang Que," and felt a tremor in their hearts from each word "kill."

Those were five Boundless Ones, not ordinary cultivators. Their names were only listed in a short line on the stone tablet, but everyone knew how dangerous it was. Otherwise, the Martyrdom Monument in front of them wouldn't have so many names on it.

Similar events often evoke similar associations, and at this moment, the disciples of Lingjian Mountain suddenly fell silent.

There are many rumors about Ji You, and in those rumors, this is not the first time he has taken such a risk.

When he entered the Heavenly Academy, he did just that. Later, he even saved the Danzong siblings in Qiling. People who had been to the Dongping Mountains even witnessed him forcibly killing the Bu family.

What about the Heavenly Dao Assembly, where a thousand-year-old aristocratic family joined forces to commit calamities, presided over by Chu Xian?

"Ji You usually hates the immortal sects and aristocratic families the most, so why is he suddenly so determined to kill Chu Xian this time?"

"Yes, why is he so proactive this time?"

"Perhaps they are afraid of the immortals' might and want to gain merit?"

They still remember the bewilderment expressed by the crowd when they gathered together after the turmoil ended.

But it was only at this moment that they suddenly realized why.

Because the sacred artifact had lost contact with the Heavenly Dao at that time, the most dangerous person was their family's appraiser.

In fact, they should have realized the connection between their appraiser and Ji You as soon as they learned about it, but that incident happened a year ago and it was not easy for people to think of it at the same time.

At that moment, the arrow that had been shot long ago suddenly struck him right between the eyebrows.

An image of his majesty is erected here to forever guard the mountains.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)