Chapter 589: Blood Dragon of the Royal Court

On the high tower of General General Heishi's ancestors,

two Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun silently watched the Jin Dan cultivators below die, self-destruct, without the slightest care for their own lives.

Somehow, despite being so utterly weak, a faint chill rose in both their hearts.

"Hahaha!"

"Look at these people,"

Zhenjun Shen Ya Master Dinghai Zhenjun pointed at the collateral Jin Dan cultivators like Hei Hei Louxi fleeing below, and suddenly laughed: "Tell me, if they manage to escape successfully, will they make the extermination of the Tie family their lifelong goal in the future?"

"Will they curse this old ancestor of mine as a bastard in their hearts, wishing they could eat my flesh and sleep on my skin?"

"Hahaha, and that's just these few. In the future, the Tie family will surely create countless Hei Hei Louxi, countless Jin Dan cultivators willing to self-destruct."

"Just thinking about this, old friend Zhenjun Gui Fu, my whole body and mind feel joyful and at ease."

Zhenjun Shen Ya Master Dinghai Zhenjun laughed heartily: "I think that even if the entire Northern Plains could surrender, even the Liu Dao Sect might possibly be accepted, only you, old friend, only the Tie family—if there's an opportunity in the future, will inevitably be exterminated by Nascent Soul cultivators of collateral lineage origins throughout the Northern Plains, not a single chicken or dog left alive."

"Come, drink this cup full."

"Hahaha!"

A wisp of Nascent Soul pressure, along with ripples spreading from General General Heishi's formation, enveloped Zhenjun Gui Fu Master Dinghai Zhenjun.

Clearly, being forced to cut down all remaining Jin Dan cultivators of General General Heishi, suffering a great loss of strength from then on, with the reform a complete failure—he was not as unbothered as he appeared on the surface.

"Thanks for the congratulations."

"Old friend Zhenjun Shen Ya, this is precisely what my Tie family hopes for."

Zhenjun Gui Fu Master Dinghai Zhenjun's expression was faint: "Over the past ten thousand years, there have already been countless times, and they accomplished nothing. Now, it is the same."

"You now hold a grudge against me, thinking I interrupted General General Heishi's chance at reform and rise."

"But General General Heishi will still revere the Tie family, will still be the Tie family's firm ally."

"Because the Tie family killed collateral Jin Dan cultivators, and moreover joined hands with General General Heishi's direct-lineage cultivators like Hei Hei Chengwu, not harming your direct descendants in the slightest."

"A mere few offspring born to concubines—you don't care that much about them."

"Because I, the Tie family, am protecting the interests of your General General Heishi direct lineage, throwing ourselves into the fight without hesitation, willing to sacrifice our lives—this is principle, and it is an indisputable reality!"

"Even if you forget these things, your direct descendants will not forget!"

Zhenjun Shen Ya Master Dinghai Zhenjun's laughter stopped, and he fell silent.

……

What happened in Master Tushan Xiancheng quickly reached Jiang Ding's hands through the Wei family's channels.

"Not bad, not bad, ruthless enough."

Jiang Ding praised: "Worthy of a demonic Master Dinghai Zhenjun—when turning against kin, even I feel afraid watching, my heart flutters nonstop, as if thorns were pricking my back."

"Old Ancestor,"

Wei Wei Qingqing's lingering fear had not yet faded from her face as she said softly: "The vast majority of General General Heishi's collateral Jin Dan cultivators are dead, Hei Hei Louxi's whereabouts are unknown, and great authority in Master Tushan Xiancheng has once again fallen into the hands of direct-lineage Jin Dan cultivators like Hei Hei Chengwu. Their numbers are very few, only a dozen or so Jin Dan cultivators, insufficient to control the vast Black Snow Great Grassland."

"For this reason, direct-lineage Jin Dan cultivators like Hei Hei Chengwu have appeased us vassal families, not harshly rebuking our previous submission to the collateral branch."

"Additionally, Hei Hei Chengwu vaguely revealed an intention to accept more loose cultivators."

"Oh? Better to give to outsiders than to household slaves?"

Jiang Ding smiled.

If collateral Jin Dan cultivators like Hei Hei Louxi were to hear this, they would truly be furious to death.

"They have no choice."

"Originally they could barely maintain things, but now a mere dozen or so Jin Dan cultivators are simply insufficient to rule the vast Black Snow Great Grassland—they must delegate power."

Wei Wei Qingqing said softly: "It's just that I heard they intend to summon outsider Jin Dan cultivators to Master Tushan Xiancheng, set down prohibitions, block the path above Jin Dan, and only then acknowledge the other's rule over a stretch of grassland and spirit vein, and require a ninety percent tax payment each year."

"Small-minded—few Jin Dan cultivators will be willing."

Jiang Ding shook his head and scoffed: "In the future their conditions should drop further, unless Master Tushan Xiancheng can endure having over ninety percent of the grassland yield no tax at all, letting loose cultivators rule themselves without acknowledging their substantive status."

It's like Horse Hoof Mountain,

if not for the retreat of the Master Tushan Maid Corps, that place would already be under their rule by now.

Places like this are still numerous across the Black Snow Great Grassland.

Power can never have a vacuum.

With no one from General General Heishi going to garrison the third-tier spirit vein, there will surely be Jin Dan or Foundation Establishment cultivators willing to do the job, even if every few decades there's a chance of being crushed by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

These family cultivators truly have no courage whatsoever to compete equally with others—they only think of monopolizing.

Wei Wei Qingqing bowed respectfully, then withdrew.

Jiang Ding closed his eyes.

These disturbances of the outside world—glancing at them casually is enough.

What he needed to do was simply confirm that Zhenjun Shen Ya Master Dinghai Zhenjun went out, with no other interference, then catch him and beat him to death.

Jiang Ding had a premonition that this day would not be far off.

The Northern Plains situation—the Zhengmo Alliance's internal reforms versus conservatism, all kinds of conflicts and chaos—would not allow Zhenjun Shen Ya Master Dinghai Zhenjun to remain in closed-door cultivation forever; he would surely make a move.

Eyes closed in quiet cultivation, a little over a year slipped away.

"……Senior……"

"……Senior, Master Tushan Senior……"

Jiang Ding remained motionless, maintaining a nearly shut-down state, when suddenly, from somewhere unknown, came a series of faint calling voices, maintaining a fixed frequency, continuing intermittently for several days, and finally being perceived by him.

"A wisp of sword intent?"

Jiang Ding opened his eyes, a flash of doubt passing through his pupils.

This call came from a wisp of Destroying Sword intent, transmitted over.

"Now I remember—Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun's second brother, Dong Xue Shou Ren Mo Li Tu, who was on him at the time, wasn't beaten to death back then."

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, then suddenly understood: "What does he want me for? Could it be that he feels life has become utterly joyless and wants to end things early?"

He was full of puzzlement.

……

A dark, gloomy cave.

Water dripped from the stalactites with a steady tick, splashing up a ring of ripples, the crisp echo spreading outward.

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun, the Third General of Blood Cloud, Tie Jia's Iron-Bone Vajra, the Fourth General Blood Spear Hei Lou Cheng, and several others surrounded Dong Xue Shou Ren Mo Li Tu at the center, their hair standing on end, yet unable to look away, watching every abnormal move of their target at all times.

"Second Brother, has Senior Tushan responded yet?"

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun asked nervously.

A cultivator of the same rank, he still nursed some defiance, deluding himself that he could surpass them.

But a Nascent Soul old monster — and one especially sinister, utterly lacking the bearing of an elder — he had not the slightest thought of making an enemy of such a being.

Fortunately, the other party was not from the Zhengmo Alliance, and bore no particular hostility toward them.

As for the dead men like General Tong Gu…

Naturally they had provoked the senior first — provoked a Nascent Soul old monster's avatar — heaven knew what they were thinking, courting their own deaths.

Not avenging them was only proper; no one saw anything wrong in it, nor would it affect their reputation.

"No, Big Brother."

Dong Xue Shou Ren Mo Li Tu swallowed hard, his face wretched: "I actively fed soul power to that wisp of sword intent, and it's growing. In a few years at most, it will grind away my divine soul!"

"Senior, I've been doing good deeds lately. I saved a city of mortals, beat that demonic cultivator to death, restrained my subordinates from bullying the weak — I've turned over a new leaf…"

Li Tu frantically rifled through his mind for his recent deeds — all true, all good deeds, perfectly aligned with the principles the other party had previously displayed.

"Senior…"

Suddenly, a look of violent struggle appeared in Li Tu's eyes.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and voluntarily released his divine soul's control over his eyes, mouth, nose, and other sensory orifices.

He closed his eyes, then opened them.

His gaze had changed — sharp, icy, faintly tinged with the indifferent flavor of destruction and the annihilation of dharma.

"What is it?"

Li Tu's gaze swept the surroundings as he said flatly.

"Greetings, Senior Tushan!"

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun and the others gave a start. Without waiting for any command, they instinctively prostrated themselves in full ceremony, just as they had at Luoxu Sect — everything came naturally.

Jiang Ding said nothing, watching the cultivators before him.

"Senior Tushan, we plan to raise troops, gather dragon qi, and take part in the Wang Ting struggle."

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun did not dare delay, and said respectfully: "Might you be willing to travel with us? If you could dispatch one or two disciples, we would immediately enthrone them as our lord and devote all our strength to helping them seize the Northern Plains Wang Ting. Once we enter Wangting Wangting Fudi, everything would be done according to your rules."

The surrounding Blood Riders all bowed their heads, without objection.

Gathered together, their aim was not to dominate the world, not to be king.

Their sole purpose was the pursuit of the Dao!

If a Nascent Soul cultivator could truly back them, their chances of success would immediately grow considerably — naturally they would not object.

Moreover, the Nascent Soul old monster before them was a rare sort — one who did not enjoy bullying the weak, kept to rules, and honored his own promises.

If it could succeed, this would simply be a stroke of fortune.

"No."

Jiang Ding shook his head slightly.

The Wang Ting struggle for the dragon meant nothing to him — not even enough to be called a game; he held no interest.

"In that case, we have disturbed you, Senior. Please forgive us."

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun and the others were inwardly disappointed. They bowed once more, not daring to press the matter.

"You gentlemen have great ambitions."

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, then offered a few words of encouragement: "The Northern Plains clans are without virtue — this is precisely the time for us loose cultivators to rise. Though the road is hard, it is not without some chance of achieving Nascent Soul.

The Northern Plains of tomorrow must belong to the thousand families and ten thousand surnames, not confined to a handful of clans."

"Fellow Daoists, take care."

Without waiting for a response, Jiang Ding withdrew his attention from this place.

Dong Xue Shou Ren Mo Li Tu's eyes suddenly went wide, and he returned to his original appearance.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun and the others exchanged glances, drew a deep breath, and with no further hesitation in their hearts, bowed once more.

(End of this chapter)