Is the cultivation world now only populated by demonesses?

Chapter 93, Section 92: The Five-Hundred-Year-Old Stone Bridge (Group number in the introduction)
"What are you doing?"

Mei Zhaozhao suddenly opened her eyes, and the scent of the Underworld Lord seemed to linger in her nose.

The voice of the Underworld King kept echoing in her ears, even blurring her vision.
But when the dizziness subsided, she quickly looked at the scenery before her in disbelief.

What did she see?
The young master of Cihang Palace took off her shoes and socks and placed her small feet in the man's arms.

It was an extremely delicate little foot, round, fair and cute. The adorable toes were as pink as tender lotus sprouts, or like peach petals in early spring. The soft arch of the foot resembled some kind of fine pastry, making people unable to resist getting closer.

Lu Changyuan remained expressionless and slapped Su Youwan's small foot back.

He was puzzled too.

He simply asked if he could change his fate, and the silver-haired girl took off her Taoist robe and placed her soft, fleshy feet into his arms.

Su Youwan was slapped on the foot, but she was not angry. Her expression remained calm and indifferent, as if she were a different person who had just done something shocking.

She slowly smoothed out her pale white inner garment, her voice calm and even: "Other things can only be done after we're married."

Lu Changyuan's eye twitched slightly: "What does this mean?"

"To change one's destiny, one must acquire a flavor and establish a connection."

Su Youwan said, "Youwan does not yet have the ability to conceal a person's fate at will. If you want to conceal Young Master Lu's fate as Youwan's, Young Master Lu must have a sufficient connection with Youwan."

Lu Changyuan said thoughtfully, "Then why did you stretch your foot out?"

He had never cultivated the Destiny Dao, nor had he ever seen anyone cultivate it, so his understanding of this Dao was limited. Naturally, he believed whatever Su Youwan said.

Su Youwan replied matter-of-factly, "Aside from the wedding arrangements, I don't mind anything else. I saw you and Miss Xia in the room that day."

Lu Changyuan quickly said, "Alright, stop talking."

So, that day you weren't just playing the flute outside the door, you also saw Xia Lianxue gesturing wildly, right?

Mei Zhaozhao understood their conversation, but she didn't say anything, only biting her lip.

Help Lu Changyuan kill Xiao Qingfeng.

How to help?
You, Lord of the Underworld, have some ideas!

I'm just a holy maiden of the Hehuan Sect, how can I help?
If you want me to gesture and guide you, I have studied it according to the sect's classic texts. The Hehuan Sect has many such texts, which are definitely more powerful than those of the aloof Daoist nun from Cihang Palace.

But you asked me for help. No, she couldn't help with the previous thing either!

Mei Zhaozhao forcefully suppressed her thoughts, looked at Lu Changyuan, and softly said, "I just..."

Bang bang bang!
A sudden knock on the door cut off Mei Zhaozhao's words.

Lu Changyuan squinted.

Should I knock on his door at this time?

"Wait a minute." Mei Zhaozhao was about to speak when she noticed that Lu Changyuan had already left the room and walked to the door.

The sword, now drawn, slowly began to gather its power.

Lu Changyuan yanked open the door.

Before the person outside could speak, his sword had already struck.

stab.

The meat, mixed with black gas, fell to the ground with a thud.

"Lord Yu, please don't get so angry."

The man said with a smile, as if it were not his own head that had been severed.

He bent down, calmly picked up the head from the ground, and casually pressed it against his own neck.

Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes: "Xiao Hai?"

Standing at the door was none other than Xiao Hai, who had exploded in front of Lu Changyuan not long ago, becoming a drop of blood.

"It is I, Lord Yu. His Majesty wishes to see you."

Lu Changyuan frowned: "What state are you in right now?"

Xiao Hai smiled as he put his arm around the slender waist of the woman beside him. The woman's face was flushed as she leaned against Xiao Hai's aged chest, appearing utterly submissive: "Thanks to the blessings of my ancestors, even a piece of trash like me can live a long and healthy life."

Longevity and immortality?

Lu Changyuan frowned.

No one in this world lives forever; merely lingering on is more like it.

Xiao Hai was reborn by Xiao Qingfeng using the Transformation Technique, and Wang Lian, who was next to him, was in a similar situation.

In reality, the two people in front of us cannot be considered living people at all. Whether they are Xiao Hai and Wang Lian themselves is still debatable. The two people in front of us are most likely just spirits in disguise.

Thinking of this, Lu Changyuan unleashed another sword strike, sharp and fierce.

Xiao Hai and Wang Lian quickly lost their human forms, their flesh falling to the ground and emitting a nauseating stench.

Immediately afterwards, something strange happened.

Wisps of black energy emerged from each severed limb and broken bone. Soon, the black energy in front of us became turbulent and dark, swallowing all the severed limbs and broken bones. Then, it slowly turned into a complete black sphere. The black sphere split in two, forming the outlines of two human figures, with facial features appearing on the outlines.

Wang Lian and Xiao Hai stood before Lu Changyuan once again.

Xiao Hai remained neither angry nor annoyed, but simply smiled and said, "With Lord Yu's strength, if you could submit to the Ancestor, you could become a powerful general under the Ancestor in the future, as long as Lord Yu gives up his title."

boom.

Lu Changyuan closed the door.

He couldn't be bothered to listen to what the other person was saying.

The Dao of Transformation has such power. When Xiao Qingfeng was first resurrected, he could only rely on the rules of the Underworld Kingdom and the Death Dao of the Underworld King to create black spirits. Now, he can actually give people a physical appearance.

Su Youwan stood at the doorway. She had taken off her lotus crown, and her silvery-white hair fell softly down, as if it were glowing in the darkness.

"Those two?"

Lu Changyuan shook his head: "They are just puppets created by the Transformation Method. When Xiao Qingfeng dies, they will all die. Moreover, unlike the spirit of the Underworld Lord, they will not have more self-awareness. In essence, they can be considered as Xiao Qingfeng's external incarnations."

This is ridiculous to call it immortality.

The Way of the Underworld Lord is more profound than his. When the River Styx opens, the spirits of the dead can sense a trace of past warmth and new life springs forth from their rotting flesh.

Death is followed by rebirth; the death of the past gives birth to the life of the future, and this is the cycle of reincarnation.

Lu Changyuan put aside his complicated thoughts and was still wondering where the Underworld Lord was.

Just then, Mei Zhaozhao came out, still dressed in black robes: "Let me say something, I just saw the King of the Underworld in my dream."

Lu Changyuan suddenly looked up: "Go on."

"I was just about to speak."

"Did the King of the Underworld say where she is?"

"No."

"Did the Underworld Lord say how to kill Xiao Qingfeng?"

Mei Zhaozhao paused for a moment, then shook her head.

Lu Changyuan took a deep breath: "What did the Underworld Lord say to you?"

"The Underworld Lord said he wants me to help you kill Xiao Qingfeng."

Hard.

The fist is hard.

Lu Changyuan felt that his self-cultivation was still insufficient, and it might be because he lost the "Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique" that he was prone to anger.

"Miss Mei, can you tell me how you can help me kill Xiao Qingfeng?"

"I don't know."

Lu Changyuan waved his hand, sighed, and looked at Su Youwan: "At least this proves that the Underworld Queen is not dead. She must have left something behind in the Underworld."

But how is this possible?

If the Underworld Lord really left something behind, not to mention Lu Changyuan's hundred years of waiting, Xiao Qingfeng, who had been a spirit for nearly four hundred years, still couldn't find anything left behind by the Underworld Lord.

In order to seize the Underworld Kingdom, Xiao Qingfeng must kill Yu.

Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He guessed that Yu's title must be of great use, but he couldn't understand why the Underworld Lord would give him the title of Yu.

He carefully recalled his previous experiences in the Underworld.

Still nothing.

Mei Zhaozhao, however, murmured softly as if in a dream: "Five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, five hundred years of rain, the Underworld Lord will eventually return."

Lu Changyuan turned around abruptly: "What did you say?"

Mei Zhaozhao was startled.

"I heard these words as soon as I entered the Underworld, and I think the King of the Underworld also said them in my dream just now."

Lu Changyuan has lived here for a hundred years and has never heard anyone say this.

All the spirits' prayers were for the return of the King of the Underworld, as if deliberately concealing the preceding sentence. Mei Zhaozhao adjusted her black robe; even the thick black robe could not conceal her exquisite figure.

"What's wrong with that?"

Lu Changyuan grabbed Mei Zhaozhao's shoulder, startling the girl who trembled: "Where did you hear that?"

"The first time was on the stone bridge outside the city, and the second time was just now."

Stone bridge?

A silver-haired girl's ethereal voice rang out: "Legend has it that long ago, there was a scholar who saw a girl selling tofu on the road and fell deeply in love with her. So he went to the Buddha for help, and the Buddha asked him, 'How much do you love that girl?'"

Lu Changyuan continued, "The scholar replied, 'I would rather become a stone bridge, enduring five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, and five hundred years of rain, just so that a young girl can walk across it.'"

"The scholar transformed into a stone bridge, enduring fifteen hundred years of solitude. In return, he gained the opportunity to meet the girl. They agreed to meet under the bridge, but a torrential downpour occurred that day. The scholar waited in vain, but when the appointed time arrived, the girl still had not come. So the scholar embraced the bridge and drowned."

Mei Zhaozhao looked at the two of them in astonishment as they responded to each other: "I have said before that I cannot bear to hear stories about the waxing and waning of the moon."

The silver-haired girl carried a birdcage, and her bodhisattva-like nature emanated from her.

Her voice was ethereal and timeless: "Legend has it that long, long ago, there was a young woman who was born into a wealthy family and was very beautiful. People came to propose marriage so often that they wore down her doorstep. But she fell in love with a poor scholar who was visiting a temple fair. She prayed to Buddha, and Buddha asked her, 'How much do you like that scholar?'"

Su Youwan glanced at Lu Changyuan.

Lu Changyuan could only say, "The girl replied, 'I am willing to become a stone tablet, enduring five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, and five hundred years of rain, just so that he may occasionally walk past me and see me.'"

"The girl transformed into a stone tablet, enduring 1,500 years of loneliness. In return, she gained the opportunity to meet the scholar. However, she misheard the time. On that day, a torrential downpour occurred. When she arrived, all she heard was the scholar drowning while embracing the stone bridge."

Su Youwan said softly, "She also saw a girl selling tofu by the bridge standing in the crowd with her fiancé. Buddha told her that she was the girl the scholar loved, and the scholar had waited for her for 1,500 years."

Mei Zhaozhao listened, dumbfounded: "What kind of ridiculous story is this? What happened next?"

Lu Changyuan waved his hand: "Later, the girl said that she felt she was more worthy of him. He was devoted, but I was also waiting bitterly. So the girl jumped into the river as well."

"What lousy stories! You two both love telling such terrible tales!" Mei Zhaozhao said, "Is this all you Cihang Palace listens to every day?"

Unexpectedly, Su Youwan simply shook her head.

"Our palace only worships Cihang, not Buddha. Moreover, if our disciples really like someone, they won't wait foolishly; they'll just bring the person back."

Lu Changyuan pretended not to hear.

"The River Styx is trembling."

So he turned back and said, "Third Prince, perhaps we still need to establish some contact with you."

Mei Zhaozhao snapped back to reality. She seemed to hear the Underworld King whispering in her ear again. She touched her black robe and found that it was still there, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Changyuan asked, puzzled, "Why do you always have to wear a black robe? Are you ugly and don't want to be seen by people?"

"You're the ugly one!" Mei Zhaozhao snorted. "If I took off my robes and let you see my face, you'd probably pounce on me. I can't beat you, so I won't do that."

So confident.

Okay, let's get started.

There's nothing more to say about the long road ahead.

Su Youwan said, "I heard that the Hehuan Sect has a method that can turn a woman with three points of beauty into a seven-point beauty, and a woman with seven points of beauty into a twelve-point beauty."

This adds to their attractiveness out of nowhere, making them even more alluring.

In reality, this technique does not change one's appearance, but rather arouses the lust in a cultivator's heart. Once lust enters the mind, one will lose reason. The Hehuan Sect is quite skilled in this technique.

Mei Zhaozhao snorted again: "You have the nerve to talk back to me? You blindfolded woman, do you have some kind of seductive trick in your eyes? Is that why you've been blindfolded all this time?"

Su Youwan ignored Mei Zhaozhao and continued to expose her past: "It is said that the Holy Maiden of the Joyful Union has been wearing a black robe since she was ten years old. The only people who have seen her later appearance are her master and a few other people."

Ten years old? Wasn't she just a little girl, her face not even fully developed, yet she was already covered in a black robe?
It's all very mysterious.

Lu Changyuan became genuinely curious, but given his current deficiencies in his cultivation technique, he decided not to challenge the Hehuan Sect's demonic arts.

After all, he used to have a 100% success rate against the Hehuan Sect's sorcery.

As long as you don't challenge them, your win rate won't decrease.

Su Youwan then said, "So, it seems I have some grudge against Miss Mei."

Mei Zhaozhao was also stunned. She thought about it and realized that she didn't seem to have any conflict with the junior master of Cihang Palace.

"What grudge?"

“I beat up your uncle’s son and he almost died in Shangyujing.”

You mean Blood Smoke Luo?

The silver-haired girl gently brushed her long, silver-white hair aside and hummed in agreement.

Mei Zhaozhao sneered: "You might as well just beat him to death, you effeminate thing."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'Uncle's son'?" Lu Changyuan asked in confusion.

Su Youwan said, "Xue Yanluo's mother is her master's junior sister."

Lu Changyuan had no impression of Bu Bailian's junior sister at all.

Su Youwan continued, "Young Master Lu, don't be fooled by her current dazed appearance. She probably just wants you to feel sorry for her and save her."

Mei Zhaozhao's eyes were hidden in her black robe, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

But she herself knew it.

Su Youwan was not wrong. She weighed the options several times and felt that meeting Lu Changyuan with this persona was the best approach—she thought Lu Changyuan was a soft-hearted man.

Lu Changyuan smiled, not minding at all: "Third Prince."

Su Youwan stared intently at Lu Changyuan, somewhat puzzled.

Could it be that Young Master Lu's desire is lust?

She spoke softly, "Youwan doesn't mind."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xiao Qingfeng remained seated on the throne.

Under his sculpting, enormous skeletons were constantly resurrected, transforming into living beings.

"He has attained enlightenment."

Those enormous lives, like dust in the wind of history, have reappeared in the world.

There were giant lizards with enormous bodies covered in granite, giant birds with three fleshy wings on their backs with scarlet blood hanging from them, giant pythons with coiled bodies of unknown length, and headless, tall, and dull humanoid figures. These creatures, which had been dead for countless years, were brought back to life by Xiao Qingfeng using the Dao of Rebirth.

"It's good that so many monsters' thoughts are preserved here. My country needs all kinds of different creatures."

Xiao Qingfeng is no longer satisfied with Yao Guang, who is readily available to him.

He was obsessed with the Yao Guang Dharma, and his ambition swelled endlessly. Now he wanted to see beyond Yao Guang.

If Yao Guang's Transformation Path can regenerate from a drop of blood and summon back prehistoric phantoms, what about Yao Guang itself? Can life and death truly be reversed, and past beings reborn from a drop of blood and a thought?

Just thinking about this scene made Xiao Qingfeng narrow his eyes slightly, feeling a shiver run through his body.

Yao Guang.

Above the Jade Light.

Longevity and eternal vision—how wonderful!

He slowly rose, his black robe trailing on the ground, and then flew into the sky, looking down at the underworld he had given color to.

"Lord of the Underworld, your city looks much better under my control."

He whispered to the underworld, his voice filled with undisguised smugness.

However, the next second, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Through the core of the Underworld Kingdom, he could sense the whereabouts of all the spirits of the Underworld Lords.

The number was incorrect, far less than he had expected. The spirits he had originally planned to convert into his own were now mostly missing.

Never mind. They're all just trivial matters.

Just then, Xiao Qingfeng suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through layers of space and fixing on Lu Changyuan's small courtyard.

He sneered, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. You don't even want the longevity I'm bestowing upon you?"

Almost all the cultivators who entered the Underworld this time were wiped out, but the only place where the inconspicuous little courtyard still had the aura of living people.

Although he could not yet fully control the Underworld, Xiao Qingfeng could clearly sense Yu's presence.

To his displeasure, the power of the Underworld in his hand was trembling slightly, as if it wanted to break free from his control and welcome back Yu. The River Styx in the sky was also suddenly trembling violently, with the water hanging upside down, as if it might fall again at any moment.

Xiao Qingfeng casually stretched out his hand and clenched it in the air. In an instant, the tremors of the entire Underworld Kingdom stopped abruptly, the reversed flow of the River Styx returned to calm, and all the commotion was forcibly suppressed.

The Underworld was ultimately under his control.

The sundial reappeared in his hand, now emitting an ominous glow. He could not yet completely change the laws of the Underworld, for he had not yet truly become the master of this realm.

But what if it's only aimed at a specific target, making the Underworld Lord's laws temporarily ineffective against the three people in that courtyard?

The sundial suddenly expanded to be taller than a person, and the inner ring began to spin wildly, emitting a teeth-grinding friction sound, while three bright beams of light rose up.

"Three days," Xiao Qingfeng said calmly. "At most three days, the protection of the Underworld Lord will disappear from you."

At that point, he could simply reach out and crush this tedious resistance as easily as an ant.

(End of this chapter)