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Chapter 574 Solution (Blood Rain Record Complete)
—Where is that sound coming from?
Master Chongxu raised his head and looked around blankly.

However, there was no one around.

Apart from the two of them, there were no other living creatures to be seen.

Others might think it was just an illusion, but Master Chongxu was different; he clearly remembered that the voice was ringing in his ears.

So, is he a member of Rashomon?
That is one possibility.

He had heard about Zhou You's relationship with the Rashomon members, and had even suspected that Zhou You might have already been replaced. Although the Five Aggregates Temple and Rashomon had no conflict of interest, given the personalities of those madmen, it was not surprising that they would do anything.

Thinking of this, Master Chongxu took a deep breath, then extended the few remaining grass seeds, which transformed into a thin, emerald-green mist and swept around.

Otherwise.

He was then plunged into an even greater wave of confusion.

There are no Rashomon members at all.

Upon seeing Master Chongxu's expression, Zhou You immediately laughed.

Intense pain permeated my entire body; my lungs felt like bellows with burning coals, and every movement, every breath brought a burning sensation.

However, he was still laughing, laughing heartily.

Finally, after vomiting a mouthful of thick blood clots, he was able to barely manage to speak.

"Master, you're usually so smart, but you've made a foolish mistake. Are you looking for the Rashomon assassin? Don't worry, that guy killed Hongyi and then just left. He didn't even come with me."

Who could that be?

Suddenly, a certain feeling welled up in his heart, but Chongxu Shangren dared not think about it—under this inexplicable emotion, he even forgot to attack Zhou You, and just looked at someone with bewildered eyes.

And the person stopped mocking them.

Or perhaps he had exhausted all his strength after several consecutive battles, or perhaps he simply didn't want to drag things out any longer; he just uttered a few words softly.

“Master, apart from the place where the great demon is entrenched, there are only two intact places in this area. One place is where I am, and the other place... let me say this first, I did not deliberately avoid it.”

Thus, Master Chongxu lost all his voice.

He turned his head slowly, looking at the place he had longed for, the symbol of the sect leader's position, which was also surrounded by a curtain.

The old man remained lying there, motionless—it was clear that he was indeed dead.

Master Chongxu still felt his heart beating faster and faster, as if it were about to burst out of his throat.

There is no other reason.

A blurry mass was floating on the corpse.

—It doesn't seem like a human soul, but more like a newly born monster!
Sure enough, the sound rang out again.

This time it was much clearer, but it wasn't directed at Chongxu, but rather at Zhou You.

"Thank you, Ling Yuan. If you hadn't delayed me for so long, I wouldn't have been able to complete this final technique in peace. It is truly a blessing from our ancestors that the sect has produced a disciple like you."

Zhou You looked at the blurry figure—the last remnant of the Chenghua Master, the head of the Five Elements Temple—and finally put away his smile, shook his head, and replied.

"To be honest, I wasn't trying to stall for time for you. I just thought that someone like you couldn't possibly just die like that, so I tried it out at the last minute. I didn't expect it to become the key move."

The two talked without any restraint, completely ignoring Chongxu as if he didn't exist.

Chongxu didn't say anything either.

The moment the old man's soul turned into a ghost, he knew that he had lost everything.

Admittedly, transforming into a strange creature in human form cannot last long; perhaps after two or three incense sticks, this creature will be completely destroyed. However, I am also at my limit, not to mention that with my accumulated prestige over the years, if I issue a decree, all the disciples in the temple will become my enemies!

Even so, Master Chongxu did not choose to flee in panic.

On the contrary, without anyone noticing, he quietly used his last trump card to save his life—he crushed a crystal-clear dzi bead and forcibly restored a portion of his magical power.

However, it rushed straight towards Zhou You, who was unable to move!
Although he didn't know the sect leader's relationship with this disciple, judging from their conversation, the sect leader seemed to value him highly, and as long as he could obtain a hostage...
At least there's still hope of escaping the mountains!

But Zhou You, seeing the outstretched claw, didn't resist at all; in fact, his eyes showed great interest.

Similarly, it will happen in the next second.

Master Chongxu abruptly stopped moving.

He looked at his body with his remaining eye, then cried out in disbelief.

"—A guardian spirit beast?? Isn't this thing completely insane? Chenghua, how did you control it?!"

The old man did not provide an answer.

The hazy mist revealed a hand-like object, which beckoned, and the unseen body of Master Chongxu was dragged directly to the front of the curtain.

Then, the old man just stared at Master Chongxu without saying a word.

He just stared at it, and even though it no longer had a face, a sense of regret still lingered in his eyes.

It was only after a long time that he slowly spoke.

"Chongxu, to be honest, you are the disciple I regret the most."

Master Chongxu tried to struggle, but as the invisible force tightened, his last bit of strength to resist was worn away.

“Unlike the bunch of good-for-nothings under me, there are quite a few talented people in your generation. Qingxia is smooth and adept at social maneuvering, Zimo is serious and meticulous, Qingjing is learned and capable, and even Minghua has his own unique strengths.”

"And you, Chongxu, you are the disciple with the highest cultivation. Although you are studying miscellaneous arts, your achievements are absolutely immeasurable. I have always thought that if Qingxia can succeed as sect leader, and you make a name for yourself in the Tianyuan Tournament, even if you don't get any ranking, you can still support this sect. At that time, even if I die, I can die in peace."

At this point, the old man seemed very disappointed and shook his blurry body.

"Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. Qingxia has associated with too many people and has long been lost in her own methods. You are greedy for power but have forgotten where your family is. I have seen this all these years and it pains me to see it. The most promising generation has gradually followed the same path as us. If I'm not mistaken, the one who gave you the hint was probably those demons, right?"

The sigh seemed genuine, but Master Chongxu showed no appreciation whatsoever. He struggled to create a small opening and then questioned him.

"You're talking nonsense!!! If you hadn't let things drift, if you hadn't kept giving me hope, how could I have ended up like this?! If you had decided on the successor to the sect leader position earlier, why would Qingxia and I have wasted so much effort, only to end up becoming enemies!!!"

Knowing that he had no hope, Master Chongxu let go of everything and revealed his truest nature.

Hearing these words, the old man did not refute them, but even agreed with them.

"Indeed, knowing that my lifespan was coming to an end and that the spirit beasts wouldn't last much longer, I wanted to take advantage of this last chance to try to force them to grow faster. I neglected your feelings, and that was indeed my fault."

"Then what are you still rambling on about—"

Before Master Chongxu could finish speaking, the old man sighed again.

"It's too late to undo what's done, but I can still make it up to you one last time."

What kind of compensation?

The old man said calmly.

"That is to free you from the suffering of this world and allow you to enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"This is compensation?? Old ghost, you're not—"

Master Chongxu's eyes widened, and he roared in disbelief—but before he could utter his last words, the invisible thing that had been holding him had already been wiped away.

This character, who was exceptionally talented in his youth and extremely cunning in his old age, and who was present throughout the entire script, was so easily erased from the story.

It's abrupt, and might even give people a feeling of unreality.

Zhou You stared in that direction for a while, then turned back and spoke to the old man's illusory figure.

"You bunch of cunning old foxes, you're practically geniuses! You've turned this ritual into a series of twists and turns. Wait, are you going to do it again later?"

The old man's voice remained kind, as if he were addressing a true junior.

"That's not quite it. I can only hold on for about half an incense stick's time before my soul is completely scattered. But I see you still have a lot to ask, Ling Yuan. Why don't you take this opportunity to ask clearly, so you don't leave with any regrets?" — Just how much does this old guy know?

Zhou You looked at the other person, but still raised the corners of his mouth and said.

"Well, I do have a lot to ask, but it seems we don't have enough time, so let's keep it simple. First of all—when that 'True Immortal' descended just now, were you the one who helped me conceal my aura?"

"Yes."

"why?"

The old man smiled.

"Why? It's simple. You are a disciple of my Five Elements Sect. Even if you have the identity of a chosen one, you are still a member of my Five Elements Sect. As the sect leader, how could I stand by and watch you get into trouble?"

It's a perfectly normal answer, but within this worldview, it's extremely abnormal.

Zhou You didn't ask any further questions, but instead raised a second one.

"The one manipulating the Great Demon must be Uncle Chen, right? You've been scheming for so many years, and in the end, you still resort to your own disciple's methods?"

Upon hearing this, the old man remained silent for a long time.

"How did you know?"

Zhou You answered very frankly.

"Guess."

The old man then laughed out loud.

"That's why I like you as my disciple. Unlike the lifeless atmosphere of the temple, an outsider like you is much more interesting. Yes, you guessed right. Everything the Grand Priest did before was to let Chen Wen usurp the throne and manipulate the already insane spirit beast."

"However, even if you take it, those drawbacks can't be undone, not to mention that the spirit beast itself is not far from death. What exactly do you want to do?"

The old man fell silent again.

After a long pause, he finally spoke—and this time, it was a rhetorical question.

"Ling Yuan, although you haven't been here long, what do you think of this world?"

Zhou You answered crisply and clearly.

"It's absolutely awful. In all the worlds I've been through, this script is the worst I've ever seen."

Since the other party already knew, he didn't intend to beat around the bush anymore.

Upon hearing this answer, the old man chuckled.

“That’s right, I also think this world is rotten to the core, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Unlike you, even though the world is rotten to the core, we still have to struggle within it and maintain our own traditions.”

"—Unfortunately, my lineage of the Five Aggregates Contemplation is clearly on the verge of collapse."

He also looked at the spot where Master Chongxu had been obliterated and sighed.

"I often think that if Chongxu and Qingxia's personalities could blend together, I could entrust the Five Elements Temple to them with peace of mind. Or perhaps you are not the chosen one, but a true disciple, and I could support you for a few more years and try my best to cultivate you and your junior sister into talents."

Zhou You said softly.

"However, there are no 'ifs' in this world, and I cannot accept your lineage."

The old man nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, so I can only choose another method—that is to eliminate all possible unexpected factors, and then let Chen Wen and I transform into strange creatures at the same time, and use our last bit of strength to break through the barrier and pull the Five Aggregates Temple into the bottom of the Yin Path.”

"In this way, at the very least, the Five Aggregates Contemplation can be passed down to future generations."

Zhou You fell silent.

He roughly understood what the other person meant, but he still couldn't help but speak up.

"You're trying to seal off this world. Sure, that way you won't have to worry about others taking advantage of the situation, but once you sink to the bottom of the Yin Path, unless you can fight your way out, no one can return."

Zhou You didn't utter the word "come." He suddenly raised his head and looked at the old man in disbelief.

The old man smiled and said.

"That's what I'm doing. Those who lack ability will naturally rot away in that place, but those who have ability, even if only one leaves, can still carry on the Five Elements Temple's lineage."

"The law of the jungle, are you going to use the underworld as a trial to select the strong from the weak?"

"Yes, that's exactly it."

Zhou You fell silent.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Such a large plan couldn't possibly be carried out by just you and Uncle Chen, could it? Who else is helping you?"

The old man clapped his hands.

Three figures suddenly emerged from the void sealed off by Fairy Ming.

Coincidentally, we all know each other.

One was the hermit Qingjing, who had guided him in the first place; another was the beautiful woman who had vehemently opposed his becoming the senior disciple; and the last one...
He was the drunkard who was always looked down upon and seemed to have long been addicted to alcohol.

But no one spoke; they simply pursed their lips and watched everything with indifferent eyes.

Zhou You shook his head, and then said.

"Alright, I understand. But I have to tell you something first: you have to let go of my junior sister, Li Chengfei, and those people outside who helped me. I promised them before that I would definitely take them away from this hellhole, and I can't go back on my word."

The old man smiled.

“I remember those outside are Wang Chongming and his friends, right? Although that kid’s cultivation is average, he is indeed quite skilled in other areas. I understand. Those people were not part of my plan. It doesn’t matter if we let them go.”

Having received this promise, Zhou You paused for a few seconds before asking the final question.

"Then I have another question."

"explain."

"What exactly are you trying to gain by helping me like this?"

The old man burst into laughter—a hearty laugh, as if he were not a dying soul, but still the renowned Chenghua Emperor.

“Kid, as I told you before, you belong to my Five Elements Temple. No matter what kind of person you are, or what kind of ghost you are, you are still a member of my Five Elements Temple. Therefore, whatever name you make outside, you will carry the mark of the temple. When others see you, they will say: Ah, this is the Heavenly Sword from the Five Elements Temple.”

"—In this way, even if the entire temple sinks into the land of the dead, even if everyone is trapped there and no one can get out."

"People will still remember that our Five Aggregates Temple produced such a capable person."

"And that's enough."

After hearing this, Zhou You remained silent. He gave a final salute, struggled to his feet, dragged his sword, and walked out into the bright sunshine.

After a long time.

In the blank space illuminated by the candlelight, a frail, elderly voice could be heard.

"Master, is it worth it? What if he fails?"

The old man simply smiled and replied with a few words.

“I believe in him—not because of his status as the chosen one, but because I believe in him as a person.”

"so."

"I think it's absolutely worth it."

(End of this chapter)