Chapter 605: Tushan Master Dinghai Zhenjun Grants You Freedom

Jiang Ding extended his spiritual sense and sword intent in all directions.

He gazed at every person, every spiritual beast, and every living being within the city.

Techniques such as the Art of Hiding and Concealment, the Method of Changing Skin and Bones, and the Art of Obscuring Light were utterly useless; under the sword intent, even the finest details were laid bare.

Jin Dan cultivators from vassal families like Yu Zhong and Wei Wei Qingqing were slaughtering the direct-line cultivators of the General Heishi clan around them, whether they were at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stage.

Even mortals were not spared; the family's long-held hatred was being vented.

The Jin Dan cultivators of the General Heishi and Shang clans were each altering their appearances and hiding; some had become children, women, men, or the elderly, while others had transformed into birds, dogs, insects, and the like.

Some had even turned into bricks, deeply concealed beneath the soil; their methods were highly refined, and many Jin Dan cultivators from vassal families walked right past them without any detection.

The remainder were scattered cultivators, traveling merchants, and other miscellaneous personnel, along with the original residents of the Beast-Spirit Immortal City; their numbers were vast, constituting the majority.

Many, taking advantage of this chaos, went mad with burning, killing, and looting, seeking to reverse their fate and seize resources to advance to the next realm.

Ding!

Jiang Ding lightly flicked his flying sword with his finger.

A crisp, slightly cool sound wave spread in all directions, entering the ears of everyone, whether they were at the Qi Refining stage, mortal, or Jin Dan and Foundation Establishment.

Those who heard the sword's resonance, whether they were looting or roaring in fierce combat, instinctively froze their bodies.

"All of you, return immediately to your dwellings."

"Do not cause trouble, do not smash, loot, or burn, and do not attack others."

"Those who violate this will die."

Jiang Ding spoke softly, with no coldness or threat in his tone; it was like casual daily conversation, his voice having no inflection.

"Yes, Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun!"

"We obey your command!"

The numerous Jin Dan cultivators shivered simultaneously, letting go of the people around them; even as swords and other magical treasures were about to sever an enemy's head, they hesitated not at all, swiftly recalling their treasures and disregarding even the heavenly treasures and earthly gems scattered on the ground around them.

Renowned throughout the Northern Plains alongside Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun's reputation for keeping his word was

the bloody and cruel methods of sword cultivators!

No one believed they could be an exception.

Nor did anyone think that having established some unparalleled Da Gong would allow them to be arrogant and exempt from punishment.

The Jin Dan cultivators were all pragmatic and very rational.

"Kill! Kill them!"

"Loot! The Jin Yu Pavilion has Foundation Establishment Pills, at least a dozen Foundation Establishment Pills! Rush forward!"

Compared to Jin Dan cultivators with six hundred years of lifespan, six centuries, who could almost witness the rise and fall of two unified dynasties, the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators were far less rational.

Especially the Qi Refining cultivators, who held a somewhat "born at dawn, die at dusk" outlook; they were short-sighted, easily bewildered by immediate gains, and reckless.

At this moment, let alone a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, even if a Soul Transformation Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun stood before them, they would still slaughter the enemy at hand and seize the Foundation Establishment Pills first.

Morality, etiquette, and fear could not stop the mad individuals.

"Stop."

Jiang Ding patiently urged again, his voice spreading throughout the entire Immortal City.

Some came to their senses and retreated, ceasing their slaughter and plunder; others heard but did not listen, seeing only their enemies and the Foundation Establishment Pills, with nothing able to enter their ears.

"Fellow Daoists,"

"I said, you will die..."

Jiang Ding sighed lightly.

Clang!

The sword unsheathed, cleaving through space, flying across the entire Beast-Spirit Immortal City, and returning once more.

The spiritual light on the sword remained undamaged, not stained by a single drop of blood.

"Kill..."

"Let go of that jade box..."

Within the Immortal City, countless Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators who were still shouting and fighting suddenly found a thin sword mark on their throats, blood gushing out.

"Spare us..."

Their eyes revealed intense fear.

Unable to utter a single word, their bodies fell silently to the ground.

Just before death, some saw that around them, and in the distance, rows of Qi Refining cultivators fighting just like them were also falling silently, covering the ground in a thick layer.

Weapons in their hands hit the ground, clattering.

Seen from the sky, a sudden mist of blood appeared across the entire city; groups of cultivators collapsed softly, their blood and corpses staining the ground of the Immortal City red.

Spiritual swords, spiritual knives, and other magical tools clattered down from the air.

After this instant, the entire Beast-Spirit Immortal City fell silent.

All shouting, all roaring, and even the hawking sounds, cooking smoke, conversations, and discussions from the streets of old were gone; not a single stray sound remained.

The wind blew, sweeping through this soundless Immortal City, every melody clear and audible.

Jin Dan cultivators like Yu Zhong and Wei Wei Qingqing, along with the hidden Jin Dan cultivators such as Shang Shang Sanwu, felt their hearts turn ice-cold; recalling their own previous hesitation and wavering, cold sweat poured down their backs.

Had they truly hesitated and delayed even a little, another Jin Dan corpse would now be lying on the ground.

After a moment of hesitation, Jin Dan cultivators like Yu Zhong and Wei Wei Qingqing gathered before the youth in green robes; over a hundred Jin Dan cultivators communicated briefly via spiritual sense, formed a neat line, bowed deeply, and spoke in unison.

"We pay our respects, Tushan Master Dinghai Zhenjun!"

"Congratulations, Master Dinghai Zhenjun, on shattering the General Heishi Demon Cave, removing a great calamity from the Northern Plains; your merit is immeasurable, your name will be transmitted through the ages!"

The many Jin Dan cultivators spoke respectfully and joyfully.

The Northern Plains Families!

Using bloodline as the medium, using bloodline to determine one's birth, those who were not of the direct lineage—no matter how great their talent, no matter how brilliant their gifts—were useless, and could only serve as slaves and servants to Jin Dan cultivators, humble as ants.

Even a direct-lineage member of the General Heishi clan at Foundation Establishment or Qi Training would dare to shout at them and treat them like pigs and dogs.

These past events surfaced one by one before their eyes—how could they feel no hatred?

It was only that the General Heishi ancestor was overwhelmingly powerful, and they dared not voice any complaints.

And now, with the General Heishi clan about to be destroyed, they felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had risen once more. Although there were hidden worries about the future, it did not detract from the joy of this moment.

"Fellow daoists, you are too courteous. Please rise."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

"Yes!"

"We obey the Master Dinghai Zhenjun's command!"

Yu Zhong and the other Jin Dan cultivators, regarding themselves as subordinates, rose respectfully and fixed their fervent, expectant gazes upon the person before them.

As famous as he was for cruelty and bloodshed,

was his regard for rules, his absolute adherence to his own promises!

"Fellow daoists, open your divine souls. Let me look upon your prohibitions."

Jiang Ding nodded. There was no small talk or catching up—just as always, straight to the point.

"... Yes, Master Dinghai Zhenjun!"

Yu Zhong and the other Jin Dan cultivators hesitated for a moment, then steeled their hearts, released the defenses of their divine souls, and exposed their sea of consciousness—which was extremely important to a Jin Dan cultivator.

The General Heishi clan had imposed prohibitions upon them.

The previous Mi Fa could cause confusion for at most a quarter of an hour; after that it could no longer restrain them, and they would surely die by their bodies exploding. This was no time for hesitation.

Jiang Ding's divine sense and sword intent unfurled, pouring into each Jin Dan cultivator's sea of consciousness.

He did not examine any secrets or Gong Fa. After performing a certain degree of Zi Wo Feng Yin and cutting off external perception, strand after strand of divine sense and sword intent headed straight for the core of the divine soul, transforming into a tiny flying sword—like the most delicate surgical knife—busily working within.

He severed the perception of the soul prohibitions, carefully peeled the self-destruct prohibitions away from the core of the divine soul, and performed an initial repair of the damaged sea of consciousness…

It looked simple, but in fact it required powerful divine sense and precise control of sword intent, as well as a targeted understanding of that particular soul prohibition.

If it were most of the Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun of the Northern Plains, they would not have the ability to lift prohibitions from so many Jin Dan cultivators at the same time.

A quarter of an hour later.

Jiang Ding opened his eyes, withdrew his divine sense and sword intent, and a trace of weariness showed in his gaze: "It is done. Go back and recuperate for a few years, and you should recover fully."

"So quickly?"

The many Jin Dan cultivators of the vassal clans were shocked and doubtful, unable to believe it, and carefully sensed for a moment.

They were astonished to discover that the prohibitions—which had been imposed upon them since their advancement to Jin Dan and had existed within their divine souls for hundreds of years—had suddenly vanished, and no new soul prohibitions had been left behind.

Apart from their divine souls being much weaker, there were no aftereffects.

"It is actually true…"

Even though Yu Zhong and the other Jin Dan cultivators were iron-hearted and cunning old foxes, they could not help but be shaken within, and genuine gratitude and admiration welled up in abundance.

Over a hundred Jin Dan cultivators, plus Foundation Establishment and Qi Training juniors from each clan—even for a Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun, this was a massive pool of manpower that could be put to use.

Just like that, without any back-and-forth.

If they searched their hearts, they knew that if they themselves had had the chance, they would certainly not have let it pass—they would have taken the opportunity to impose prohibitions and gain control.

In that instant,

they understood why the cultivators they had occasionally encountered from the Falling Void Sect spoke with such reverence and such intensity for the Master Tushan sword cultivators, and had not forgotten it over the years.

(End of this chapter)