Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 353 Cloud City on the Lake in March

Immortal sects have always preferred to build their mountain gates in famous mountains and rivers, using them as the foundation of their spiritual veins to demonstrate their transcendence.

For example, the Eight Hundred Mile Green Coffin Mountain in Incense Valley was a first-class blessed land before the Demon Lord Wujiu severed its earth veins and spiritual roots.

The location of the Yunlu Immortal Sect's mountain gate is also extraordinary, being the most mysterious and beautiful March Lake in the Western Region.

The so-called March Lake refers to the most famous scenic spot in the western region.

Three vast, clear pools, shaped like the moon, nestle and intertwine with each other.

One pool is clear and delicate, like a newly risen moon; another pool is full and abundant, like a full moon hanging still; the last pool is as if it has been cut open by a sharp blade, leaving only half a moon.
The three lakes stand side by side, their light and shadow intertwined, forming what is known as the March Lake.

Legend has it that when the moon in the sky aligns with the surface of the lake, there is a magnificent phenomenon that makes March Lake look like a fairyland, but very few people can witness this wonder.

In the center of March Lake, there is a winding, hundred-zhang-high heavenly ladder. This hundred-zhang-high heavenly ladder pierces through the clouds and mist, and at its end is a floating city in the clouds, which is the mountain gate of the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

The city floating above the clouds—that's the origin of the name Yunlu Immortal Sect.

A thousand years ago, there was no such thing as March Lake.

It was because the Demonic Sect attacked the Yunlu Immortal Sect at that time, and the battle was so fierce that the sky darkened and the sun and moon disappeared. The Yunlu Immortal Sect was no match for them, and the entire floating city fell, leaving three marks on the ground.

Later, through artificial construction, it became the March Lake we know today.

The floating city that had crashed to the ground had long been repaired by the Yunlu Immortal Sect and restored to a magnificent and majestic immortal palace in the clouds.

However, while the mountain gate's residence can be repaired, the damage cannot be made up for.

The Seven Divination Tablets of the Cloud Pavilion, passed down by the Yunlu Immortal Sect, was originally the foremost divination method in the world. However, when the demonic sect attacked, this lineage was completely severed, and even the scriptures were burned. Today, only fragments of the Seven Divination Tablets of the Cloud Pavilion survive, and very few people can even learn the basics.

Therefore, the Yunlu Immortal Sect never needed to mention to its disciples how hateful the demonic sect was. As long as they saw the incomplete Yunji Seven Signs Secret Technique, all the Yunlu Immortal Sect disciples wished they could dig out those demonic sect cultivators and kill them all again.

In addition, the recent plague outbreaks in many parts of the Western Region have caused a lot of resentment within and outside the Yunlu Immortal Sect, who are eager to start a war with the Demonic Sect and have a good fight.

Yu Shenxing didn't have that much resentment, but he had been sighing a lot lately.

He was in charge of resettling the refugees, but he never expected that after providing them with enough food and drink, these ordinary people would take advantage of him.

It's all because when the people were being relocated at the beginning, the disciples of the Yunlu Immortal Sect, in order to save trouble and to persuade the people to move quickly, agreed to everything in a haphazard way.

In their minds, land, food, and all sorts of other things meant nothing to the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

All you want is land? Here you go!
All you want is grain? We'll give you the same!

Do you also want cattle and horses? Give them to us!
……

He agreed to everything, then showed off a couple of magical tricks, and the people bowed down in worship, and the migration began in a grand procession.

At first, things went smoothly, but later it was discovered that what the people wanted was not wasteland, but fertile land where crops could grow after planting.

The disciples of Yunlu Immortal Sect know magic, but they don't know how to do things like land reclamation.

What kind of land qualifies as fertile land? We can't learn that now.

A few casual spells burned away the weeds and vegetation, and the ground was flattened. Is that what you call fertile land? When the villagers tried to plow the field with their hoes, they almost broke their hands. The ground was full of gravel, which was made as hard as steel by the spells. Not to mention human strength, even a hundred oxen couldn't plow it.

Then we'll have to go ask those gods for more; we can't just starve to death in our new home.

Some people are lucky enough to be allocated suitable land for cultivation and start a new life, which makes others envious.

Are you gods this unfair too?

Then they started making a scene again.

Such issues include housing, food, and various other matters; the saying goes, "It's not scarcity that people worry about, but inequality." People who leave their hometowns are already anxious about gains and losses, and those with families are even more so, easily making a fuss over any rumors.

The disciples of the Yunlu Immortal Sect are cultivators; who would care about such things?

Yu Shenxing didn't know either. When he first took over, he didn't think there was anything wrong with casually agreeing to help the refugees. But by the time the conflict broke out, he had basically lost the trust of ordinary people.

The idea that immortals' opinions don't count is quickly becoming a consensus among the refugees.

Yu Shenxing finally understood why the demonic cultivators were so numerous; being a good person was much harder than being a bad one. The disciples of the Yunlu Immortal Sect were also furious at being complained about by mortals. "We came to rescue people, and you still have so much dissatisfaction? We might as well let you die in the plague!"

With resentment growing between the two sides, more conflicts naturally arise.

Yu Shenxing felt extremely anxious. If things continued like this, the mortals would probably die at the hands of the Yunlu Immortal Sect, which would likely ruin the sect's reputation.

Fortunately, with Chen Ye's guidance during their correspondence, Yu Shenxing finally knew what to do.

Maintaining public order and ensuring basic needs are met, then implementing work-for-relief programs based on the conditions of the resettlement areas, being firm when necessary and lenient when appropriate, selecting representatives for refugees, not just using bureaucrats and clan elders, but also taking into account all social strata... Yu Shenxing only learned about these many details after Chen Ye pointed them out.

There's so much to learn about just the two words "disaster relief."

Experience has little to do with age; even cultivators who have lived for hundreds of years but only know how to meditate are completely clueless about this.

After working for a long time, Yu Shenxing felt that his wheelchair was worn down by two rings. Fortunately, the sect elders saw it all and not only did not blame him, but also gave him a reward.

Yu Shenxing could be said to have turned misfortune into blessing.

Later, Yu Shenxing was directly recalled and put in charge of receiving guests.

Yu Shenxing was well aware that the great war between good and evil was about to begin, and this conference would mark the formal declaration of war. Regardless of whether other sects offered assistance, the Yunlu Immortal Sect would still kill a few well-known demons as a sacrifice to appease the heavens and vent their anger.

In March, thousands of floating boats shuttle back and forth on the lake, transporting guests to the Yunlu Immortal Sect.

Some people, wanting to see more of the spectacular scenery of March Lake, will slowly walk up the long, towering staircase.

Having experienced the magnitude of the refugee migration, Yu Shenxing was actually overqualified to be in charge of receiving guests, and the various tasks were handled with remarkable ease. However, Yu Shenxing did not let his guard down, constantly inspecting various locations to prevent any issues with the hospitality.

The constant smiling was tiring for Yu Shenxing. Fortunately, as a disabled person, he didn't have to get up and bow, otherwise it wouldn't just be his face that was tired, but also his centuries-old back.

After several busy days, Yu Shenxing rubbed his face, which was almost stiff from smiling, and muttered to himself, "Why hasn't my good brother arrived yet? He's not usually unpunctual. Could he have run into some trouble on the way?"

(End of this chapter)