Minglong

Chapter 370 The dust has settled
A cloud of dust billowed up across the mountains and fields. As the mountain ridge cracked open, the enormous black snake let out a mournful cry and crashed into the muddy ravine.

Xie Jinhuan, dressed in a tattered white robe, stood on the mountain ridge, leaning on his Heavenly Mace. He was covered in sweat and panting heavily. Although his eyes were still sharp, he was genuinely surprised by the defensive power of this giant serpent.

Xuanjiao is a genuine dragon, and even though its water control ability is suppressed, its scales are virtually unbreakable. Despite Xie Jinhuan's relentless attacks, along with Empress Guo and several other scattered sect leaders who came after hearing the news, they couldn't inflict any sword wounds. The one who suffered the most damage was still Senior Sister Naigua, who used her sword energy to create a bloody gash on its tail.

However, the mace was an armor-piercing weapon. Although it did not completely shatter the dragon's scales, the impact was still enough to make the large snake brittle and tender inside. After being subjected to strong attacks for a long time, the black snake had lost the strength to struggle and lay in the ravine, with a large amount of blood gushing from its mouth and nose.

To prevent her identity from being revealed, Empress Dowager Guo never used her true abilities from beginning to end, and she was also wary of what would happen to Yanbo City. As the battle neared its end and the surrounding world became calm, she still had some doubts in her mind, and she landed beside Xie Jinhuan:

"Is there someone else hiding behind you?"

Xie Jinhuan was also secretly on guard against Yanbo City. Upon hearing the sound, he wiped the sweat from his face.

"If Master Qixia can't come up with anything, there shouldn't be anyone else, right?"

Empress Dowager Guo sensed that with the cunning of Old Demon Gao and the steadiness of Old Demon Shang, there must be something else going on that hadn't surfaced yet. However, she didn't see anything unusual at the moment, so she didn't say anything more and turned her gaze to the rear.

sough……

Ye Yunchi and Nangong Ye arrived in a flash, landing beside him. Their expressions were not good, and Bu Yuehua was even more furious.
“Chen Yishan has run away. If that old scoundrel could scheme against you, then Sikong must be involved too. I’ll settle this score when I get back.”

The Gu Poison Sect is known as the Poison Rat because they are skilled in stealth techniques. Ye Yunchi was able to seal off the fog sea to prevent them from showing themselves, but without his 'divine assistance' level of X-ray vision, it would be difficult to pinpoint their location and block them out.

Empress Dowager Guo and Ye Hongshang had to protect Xie Jinhuan and prevent Yanbo City from launching another deadly attack, so they really had no time to worry about this old thief.

Xie Jinhuan had managed to kill two people and seize a bunch of rare and precious treasures, which was quite a windfall. He wasn't too greedy at the moment, and instead took a look at the situation of his two half-wives.

Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua focused on self-preservation, expending a great deal of energy but remaining unharmed. However, Senior Sister Naigua, who was the main force, was initially injured in the ribs by a flying sword and then suffered a powerful attack from a soul-binding spell, so her condition was not good.

Moreover, under the influence of drugs such as the 'Seven Emotions Pill,' his eyesight was a bit unsteady, and his gaze was somewhat slanted. If it weren't for the several girls beside him, they probably would have already come over to touch him and examine his body.

In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, Xie Jinhuan couldn't comfort each of his wives individually, so he turned his gaze to the sky:

"Where are the coal briquettes?"

Last time the snake demon appeared, Coal Ball attacked like a madwoman, covering eight hundred miles. This time, even with its head almost smashed, Coal Ball didn't budge, which really worried Xie Jinhuan, who wondered if her personal servant had been swept away by the aftershocks.

Fortunately, Ye Hongshang appeared from the side and explained:
"Coal briquettes are also spiritual birds of heaven and earth, and they have run off to seize the opportunities bestowed by the gods, inspired by heaven and earth."

"Oh ah?!"

Xie Jinhuan's expression changed drastically. He quickly turned his gaze to the distant sky ablaze with flames, thinking that this little bird was practically courting death. He grabbed his weapon and charged towards it...

……
-
Dragon Ridge.

Hundreds of cultivators were scattered throughout the devastated mountains and fields, while some sect leaders and elders used spells to fly into the air.

However, the main peak of Dragon Ridge is a place where opportunities arise. At this time, the powerful forces of heaven and earth have not completely dissipated, making it difficult to control. As a result, the flight is crooked and the spells cannot be shot several miles as they would in the outside world.

The scene then became a series of small jumps and fireworks displays by various sect leaders and elders, with flashes of lightning and fire mixed with considerable noise.

"You insolent beast, get down here..."

"I have some dried meat here. Give me the stuff, and I'll give it to you..."

"Giggle~..."

……

Meanwhile, the pure black coal, relying on its racial talent, flew to an altitude of ten thousand meters, surrounded by a blue glowing orb, and was still 'cooing and chirping...', presumably meaning—a creation of nature, to the capable shall possess it...

Lu Yan stood on the mountaintop, holding the imperial edict, his eyes almost frantic with worry, yet utterly helpless.

Just now, Ye Yunchi and the others threw the opportunity over to Lü Yan, who grabbed it and ran away. But he instantly became a public enemy and couldn't escape. He could only resort to the same old trick, using the Eight Gates Burning Formation to set up a defensive stance and refine it first.

As a result, no one disturbed them this time, and the refining went very smoothly. Just when the Supreme Yang Thunder was about to be completely separated, the various sect leaders and patriarchs launched a strong attack as expected, and even Madam Han came back to fight.

If one hasn't fully grasped the opportunity, it's difficult to concentrate and control it. Without the protection of teammates, even Xie Jinhuan couldn't dribble past opponents, and naturally, Lü Yan was no different.

Then the cyan orbs were scattered all over the sky. Everyone was using their own abilities to guard against others, gradually forgetting that the divine opportunity was a gift from heaven and earth to all living beings, and it could also be coveted by rare and exotic beasts.

As a result, halfway through the fight, Lü Yan unleashed a massive counterattack with the Flaming Sparrow, sending everyone flying, including Ji Yuan, into the air.

Then a large black eagle appeared out of nowhere, as if it were on autopilot, and caught it and ran away.

Originally, everyone had already left the area suppressed by heaven and earth and could fly, so they didn't care about the birds and beasts snatching them away.

But this wretched bird was quite clever; it flew back to Dragon Ridge at the speed of light and then hovered motionless in the air.

When everyone realized they couldn't harness the power of heaven and earth to control the wind, they understood what the birds were doing, sacrificing their two hands for two wings.

This height, which was just a short distance in the past, is now like an insurmountable chasm, impossible to climb no matter what.

Therefore, everyone could only stand below and brainstorm ideas to trick the black eagle into coming down. Even if it didn't come down, they weren't afraid. As long as the black eagle flew out of Dragon Ridge or the power of heaven and earth dissipated, they could still go up and catch it, thus gaining the opportunity to use the mobile phone.

Unfortunately, this little bird, exuding the aura of a bandit, clearly has an owner.

Just as Lü Yan and the others were craning their necks and staring blankly, a roar resounded again in the distance.

Sa——

Everyone turned to look back, only to see a man wielding an iron mace soaring through the air and landing on the mountain ridge. He first looked up at the sky and uttered a sound:
"What the hell??"

Then he looked down at the pile of rotten fish and shrimp, his eyes wide with disbelief:

"What are you all doing? How could you get robbed like this?"

Lu Yan knew this was Xie Jinhuan's battle pet, but he had indeed underestimated it before. He replied:

"I know this is your spirit pet, that's why I didn't kill it just now. Make it drop the opportunity, otherwise these people here might not be able to catch it but they can catch you. You're currently too exhausted, don't act rashly."

The sect leader, who was anxiously watching, also turned his gaze to Xie Jinhuan, but hesitated because he was wary of Xie Jinhuan's strength.

Xie Jinhuan fought from beginning to end, and couldn't sacrifice his fellow Daoist to give Yanbo City a chance to retaliate, so his energy was indeed quite depleted. However, as the Jinchūriki, he couldn't simply give up what Coal Ball had seized through his own abilities, so he calmly responded:
"There's only one chance like this. If it really comes down to a fight, nine out of ten people won't come out unscathed. Even if you manage to snatch it, you'll have to pay a hefty price. But since we're both on the righteous path, I don't want to make things too ugly. So here's a choice for you."

"First, a hundred miles to the northwest, lies a Xuanjiao that is about to break through to become a Chi. I will subdue it myself, and the Jiao Dan will definitely be mine. But the tendons, bones, skin, Jiao poison, scales, armor, and snake teeth are all rare treasures that are hard to find in a hundred years. Everyone will get a share, and whoever runs the fastest will get the lion's share."

"Secondly, we can continue fighting, and I will accompany you to the end. However, we are exhausted and outnumbered, so I cannot spare your lives. You can decide for yourselves."

The Xuanjiao is not only a rare sight, but also a rare and exotic beast with such high cultivation and such a scarce species. It can be said that it has not appeared for nearly a thousand years. Its scales, armor, and tendons can be forged into super-grade magic weapons. Some key parts can even allow cultivators to control water or control yin lightning. This is already a semi-immortal artifact with exclusive attributes.

The first-grade cultivators and ordinary super-grade cultivators who were there to watch the excitement knew that it was unlikely they would be able to seize any opportunities on this trip, so they turned around and ran over as soon as they heard the sound, without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Yan had already suffered a huge loss. If he fought Xie Jinhuan for the divine opportunity, he would most likely lose even more. However, by using his super-high mobility to lick corpses, he could probably break even. After a little consideration, he sped off towards the northwest.

Madam Han practiced her skills using the lewd locust snake, and she was clearly very interested in the body of the dragon, so she followed suit.

With the departure of the major figures, the remaining, scattered sect leaders and elders, clearly lacking the confidence to compete for resources and fearing they wouldn't even get a sip of the soup, also rushed off towards the northwest. *Whoosh...*

Xie Jinhuan stood there with his mace in hand, watching hundreds of cultivators run off to lick the box, but he didn't feel particularly bad about it.

After all, it was such a huge worm, it would be difficult for him to drag it all back. Even if he could, he couldn't possibly risk everyone's wrath to seize the divine opportunity again. Anyway, Sister Guo was already taking the lion's share, so he could just consider the scraps as a favor. After watching everyone leave, he turned his gaze to the sky:

"Come on, I'll take you to eat grilled silver fish later!"

"Guji~!"

……
-
On the other side, amidst the mountains and fields.

Chen Yishan was shrouded in mist, like a ghostly figure drifting through the forest. In a short while, he had already fled hundreds of miles away. His eyes were quite gloomy, and he even felt ashamed to face the elders of Lingnan.

After all, Mo Yuan was someone he had brought here, and in terms of seniority within the sect, he was considered his senior brother.

Although the Corpse Ancestor instigated the chaos within the Witchcraft Cult and was hated to the core by the people, he never betrayed his master or ancestors. On the contrary, during the chaos, he still carried the burden of his master's betrayal and led a bunch of incompetent allies in the war. If he had truly won, the Gu Poison Sect would have been the leader of all religions, instead of the spineless dog it is today.

Under this premise, many elders of the Gu Poison Sect actually hated the old sect leader Sikong Shitang's double-dealing more than the Corpse Ancestor for leading the Gu Poison Sect to an abyss of no return.

Chen Yishan and Sikong Tianyuan, when they were young, were also devoted to the righteous path and joined the people in cursing the wicked Corpse Ancestor. However, as they later experienced the difficulty of cultivation and witnessed the actions of the 'righteous path' towards the Gu Poison Sect, they gradually understood what the Corpse Ancestor was doing back then.

Mo Yuan was one of the Corpse Ancestor's experiments. He was abandoned in the Ten Thousand Snake Cave and later found and raised by Sikong Tianyuan. He has always been a member of the Gu Poison Sect.

As for the Underworld God Sect, Chen Yishan was a high-ranking member of the Gu Poison Sect and had always looked down on the demonic path. However, the Gu Poison Sect was already in a disadvantageous position and could not openly rebel. Therefore, he secretly cultivated a force and gathered the remnants of the Witchcraft Sect Rebellion and demonic cultivators as his henchmen.

On the surface, Sikong Tianyuan is the leader of the Gu Poison Sect, but in private he is also the leader of the Underworld God Sect. He originally regarded the exceptionally talented Bu Qingya as his future successor.

But Bu Qingya was too young, his mind was full of 'righteous path and common people'. As the third leader, he rejected all the sect's resolutions on the Southern Dynasty, and even secretly investigated the Chilong Cave, trying to inform the righteous path.

When their positions and sectarian interests were completely in conflict, even if the leader valued talent, he couldn't keep Bu Qingya. That's why Bu Qingya was in danger. However, he didn't expect that Sikong Tianyuan would spare Bu Qingya's life.

Over the years, they have gathered Wei Wuyi, the Huaxian Sect, and Yanbo City as allies, attempting to unearth the Corpse Ancestor and complete the plan they had not been able to finish back then.

In the subsequent Jian'an Incident, whether it was the three He brothers or the manipulation of Empress Xu's unborn child, it was all done with the secret technical support of him and the Grand Master of the Palace. Their original purpose was to gradually control the discourse power of the Northern and Southern courts and the Taoist path, and to subtly change the attitudes of the people.

Unfortunately, the Northern plot was discovered and thwarted by Empress Dowager Guo, and the Southern Dynasty's years of hard work were also ruined by Xie Jinhuan.

Originally, they had left behind spies like Crown Prince Zhao De and Xu Tong, but unexpectedly, when they were reforming Zhao De who was still in the womb, Princess Zhao Ling, who was lying in the cradle, remembered the scene of her mother encountering bad people when she was unconscious. She even remembered it under the illusion spell in Northern Zhou, which directly led to the exposure of Xu Tong's entire faction.

Now that all the pawns, both overt and covert, have been eliminated, Chen Yishan senses that the situation is about to collapse. He came to Dragon Bone Beach simply to eliminate Xie Jinhuan, this variable, regardless of the cost, but he never expected that after investing so much manpower, it would all come to nothing in the end.

As one of the architects of this change, Chen Yishan was well aware of the situation in the cultivation path.

They were utterly routed by Xie Jinhuan and were unable to accomplish anything. Given Shang Laomo's extremely rational approach, he would not stand on the same side as them and might even turn around and help the righteous path eliminate hidden dangers.

Without Shang Laomo's support, the other opportunistic elders won't intervene, and even Kongkong Daoren might withdraw. Relying solely on Yang Huaxian and Sikong Tianyuan, it's impossible to contend with the entire righteous path. In the end, the Gu Du Sect will most likely disintegrate, and Senior Brother Sikong Tianyuan will be purged, thus ending this farce that has been planned for decades.

However, this is still the situation for the future. He has already made his stance public today. If he wants to preserve the sect, the only option for now is to "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" and have his sect leader expel him from the sect on the grounds of treason, and send his head to the righteous path as an explanation.

If they want to protect him, his senior brother will have no choice but to openly defect, making the Gu Poison Faction the target of everyone's criticism.

Chen Yishan had cultivated for a lifetime and didn't really want to die, but he also didn't want to betray his sect. At this moment, he flew south because he wanted to return to the Southern Frontier and discuss with his senior brother, the sect leader, how to make a decision.

Fortunately, the righteous path was indeed efficient, and it did not cause him or his senior brother, the headmaster, any trouble or difficulty!

Chen Yishan fled along the towering mountains, not daring to be noticed by Yanbo City for fear of suffering too much damage and being discarded after being used. However, before he had even run out of the central area of ​​Dragon Bone Beach, he discovered a figure appearing in the rain-soaked mountain valley.

A figure stood by the stream, dressed in a black and white Taoist robe, holding a Yin-Yang magic ruler in his hand. His whole demeanor was otherworldly and ethereal, like a wandering immortal who had come to this place.

? !
Chen Yishan abruptly stopped, instinctively raising his cane, but considering the disparity between them, he abandoned this undignified act of throwing an egg against a rock, instead leaning on the cane and speaking calmly:

"I was wondering why Xie Jinhuan was so valiant. It turns out that Sect Leader Lu was secretly backing him up. But if the City Lord really shows himself, is Sect Leader Lu sure he can hold him off all by himself?"

Although Lu Wuzhen is quite skilled, he is useless if Shang Lianbi really shows up. Saying that he is there to support the enemy is really too much. The reason he is here is simply because the Qixia Patriarch sent a message to the Imperial Observatory a few days ago.

Master Qixia is currently keeping an eye on the movements in the north, and is not coming directly to help because he is afraid of failing to capture anyone on either side. That is why he has chosen to trust the wisdom of his descendants and let this junior handle the matter.

Lu Wuzhen knew that the Valkyrie was present, which is why he dared to come over and keep an eye on things secretly. If Shang Lianbi really openly betrayed the righteous path, he and the Valkyrie might not be able to kill him, but at least they could risk their lives to restrain him for a moment.

Although Yang Huaxian and Kongkong Daoren are important, Shang Laomo is obviously more valuable. As long as Qixia Zhenren confirms that Shang Lianbi has rebelled, he will definitely bring the righteous heroes to divide up Longgutan. Whoever arrives late will get less. There is no need to worry about not having reinforcements.

But if Shang Laomo doesn't betray them, then Lu Wuzhen, like the Valkyrie, won't dare to show her face.

After all, this is an opportunity for the younger generation of cultivators from Yanbo City. It's one thing for the sect leader and second-in-command to come, but for a sixth-realm sect leader sitting on the judge's seat to go in and cause trouble, you deserve to be slapped twice by the elders.

Before the open rebellion in Yanbo City, Shang Lianbi was a standing director of the Righteous Path Council, sitting in the first row at Fengbo Tower meetings. Even when Lu Wuzhen's teeth were pulled out, he had to stand up straight and be scolded. If he dared to say no, it was because he was unruly and contemptuous of the Righteous Path, not because Shang Lianbi disregarded the rules.

Therefore, Lu Wuzhen didn't dare to show himself just now, but hid and watched the situation quietly. As a result, Shang Laomo really did follow the rules and didn't have any leverage. Seeing this, he could only leave in a huff and ran hundreds of miles before secretly showing up to block Chen Yishan.

Seeing that Chen Yishan had given up resisting, Lu Wuzhen didn't waste any more words and simply asked:

"Did that old man Sikong send you?"

Chen Yishan shook his head:
"If that's true, then so be it. The sect leader is indecisive and, out of consideration for our old friendship, he still tolerates you even though the Gu Poison Sect is being bullied to the point of near extinction. My plan has failed, and even if I escape back to the Southern Frontier, he will probably exterminate me and send my head to Luoyang to appease you all. Having such a sect leader means the Gu Poison Sect's fate is sealed..."

Lu Wuzhen frowned and said, "He Tianqi has already confessed. Without any evidence, would I slander him out of thin air?"

Chen Yishan sighed softly:
“He Tianqi’s heart is as hard as iron. He can even use his wife and children as pawns. He knows that he will die if he confesses, and that he might be saved by me if he doesn’t. Why would he betray me? He has lived for over a hundred years. There’s no need for Sect Leader Lu to use such petty tricks to fool people.”

Lu Wuzhen paused for a moment, then replied:
"It is common knowledge that you colluded with evil sorcerers to harm righteous heroes. These words alone cannot wash away your crimes, old man Sikong."

"Then Sect Leader Lu can go and punish Sect Leader Sikong. Anyway, it's not the first time Sect Leader Lu has attributed the mistakes of a few disciples to the entire Gu Poison Sect. My sect leader is used to not retaliating when hit or scolded."

"..."

Seeing this, Lu Wuzhen knew that Chen Yishan was unlikely to reveal the person behind the scenes, so he raised his hand:

“Indeed, your heart is as firm as iron, but unfortunately you have gone astray. Out of consideration for your past reputation, I will give you some face. However, old man Sikong will not escape either; he will just be one step behind you.”

Chen Yishan didn't resist in vain, he simply said:
"This world has already become a den of cultists. Without a major upheaval, our feud will never end. Even those of us who follow the righteous path will reveal our ugly faces for the sake of a little opportunity. Sect Leader Lu is a highly accomplished master. Have you thought about how to end this situation?"

"The righteous path only cares about the continuation of the common people. It is not a good thing for ordinary people to have great power in the cultivation world. Although it is difficult for saints to establish a religion and become the founders of a sect in this world, as long as the righteous path does not perish, the lives of ordinary people are indeed much better than they were three thousand years ago."

Before the Human Emperor, entering the Seventh Realm was not difficult. In the same era, there were even a few figures who established their own sects and became their ancestors. Peak demonic beasts were also common. They fought each other, and their individual destructive power was too great, so there were not many decent dynasties. There were only immortal sects that were deceitful and treacherous.

After the Martial Ancestor, no one could contend with the world on their own anymore. Cultivators of the four realms were so scarce that only one or two remained in each province. The gap between mountain dwellers and ordinary people narrowed, which indeed gave ordinary people room to survive. It was also the beginning of the rise of dynasties and the contention of a hundred schools of thought.

Chen Yishan couldn't refute this, so he thought for a moment and said:

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening. The Way of the sages and worthies is for all living beings, but for most ordinary people in the world, the Way is for immortality. You can't kill all these desperate people, nor can you stop them."

Lu Wuzhen did not respond; he closed his five fingers and crushed Chen Yishan's three souls and seven spirits...
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If it's difficult to divide into chapters, then combine them into one chapter or 2!

　My wisdom tooth suddenly became swollen and painful, I couldn't even close my mouth, and I woke up from the pain after only half an hour of sleep. I'm already on the verge of a mental breakdown.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)