Chapter 414: The Current State of the Southern Wilderness

Under the bombardment of the Five Elements Divine Thunder, even the third-tier Black-Maned Demon Pig failed to make any struggle.

The purple electric arcs emitted by the power of Lei Ting formed an electric net that roamed through the herd of demonic beasts, causing those low-tier demon pigs to instantly collapse and perish.

"Th-this is... whose esteemed presence is this? To possess such imposing manner and prestige!"

"It seems to have come from the sea; could it be a cultivator from another Immortal Realm traveling here?"

The elderly Huang cultivator, who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, stared blankly at the magnificent and extraordinary Lingxiao Lingxiao Baojia in the sky, his heart filled with indescribable emotion.

The surrounding Qi Refining disciples, witnessing this scene, found their minds going completely blank, immersed in profound shock.

Merely a casual breath from the demonic beast pulling the carriage was enough to utterly exterminate the pig demons that had plagued this region for several years.

As for the person sitting inside, they must be at least a great cultivator of the late Jin Dan stage, or even a legendary Nascent Soul True Monarch.

For a moment, the minds of the myriad cultivators raced with conflicting thoughts, filling them with awe and fear.

Several breaths passed.

In the sky, the Lingxiao Lingxiao Baojia, drawn by the giant crocodile and the Blue Wave Seahorse, trailed multicolored precious light as it steadily hovered above the crowd.

The cultivator surnamed Huang hurried forward, bowed deeply toward the precious carriage, and spoke with utmost reverence: "Many thanks, senior, for stepping in to save us; this junior is Huang Qi'an of the Huang family from Little Leaf Mountain. If you have any commands or instructions, I would not hesitate to face death ten thousand times!"

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from the Profound Water Qingdi Jue above, his heart could not help but become extremely tense.

He had already begun to sweat profusely.

Judging by his knowledge, this giant crocodile pulling the carriage must be at least at the mid-to-late stage of the third tier.

As for the person sitting inside the carriage, that went without saying.

"The Huang family of Little Leaf Mountain?"

From within the carriage of the precious vehicle, a rather young voice emerged.

This left everyone present feeling quite surprised.

For in their understanding, to possess such profound and unfathomable cultivation, one should be an old monster at least several hundred years of age.

"Where did you obtain this 'Azure Nether Sword Art'? Your cultivation of it is passable. What is the current situation in the four kingdoms of the Southern Wilderness? Why are there so many gregarious demonic beasts; has another beast tide erupted?" the young voice from within the carriage continued to ask indifferently.

When these words fell, they caused the cultivator surnamed Huang to feel puzzled.

Judging by the other party's tone, they seemed extremely knowledgeable about matters within the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm.

They were even crystal clear about the cultivation technique and sword art he practiced.

Could it be that they are not an external cultivator? Suddenly, a terrifying conjecture appeared in the mind of the cultivator surnamed Huang.

Could the senior inside the precious carriage be that legendary cultivator famous throughout the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm? That great figure could be said to be the most inspiring Jin Dan cultivator in the history of the four kingdoms of the Southern Wilderness, rising step by step from a lowly spiritual farmer to become a dual Grandmaster.

Having saved the Immortal Realm of the four kingdoms from peril many times, they are a role model in the hearts of many scattered cultivators in the Southern Wilderness.

However, it was heard that several decades ago, this person vanished without a trace as if evaporating from the human world, with no further news; some also guessed they were in seclusion on an island, cultivating to break through to a higher realm.

Calculating the time now, it roughly matches up.

Among the four kingdoms, there are only a handful of Jin Dan stage cultivators in total, enough to be counted on one hand; the only one capable of such an advanced realm is likely that person.

The cultivator surnamed Huang's thoughts were incredibly clear; in just a brief instant, everything aligned perfectly.

He never expected that in this lifetime, he would have any interaction with such a renowned great cultivator.

Unable to hide his excitement, the cultivator surnamed Huang replied with utmost respect: "Reporting to you, senior, this junior's 'Azure Nether Sword Art' was acquired from a junior of the Lingyu Sect."

"What you said, senior, is correct; several years ago, a herd of Black-Maned Demon Pigs emerged within the Beast Cry Mountain Range. These demonic beasts reproduce with extreme speed, making them nearly impossible to exterminate."

"Furthermore, after forming a large scale, they began driving away nearby demonic tribes to occupy the outer territories, thus triggering another beast tide."

"Moreover, the flesh and blood of these demon pigs hold very little value; not only do they taste terrible, but they offer little benefit to cultivators either."

"Within the Black-Maned Demon Pig clan, at least two Demon Kings were born; the one just exterminated by your senior's spiritual pet was one of them."

"This junior accepted a demon-slaying bounty mission from Canghai Immortal City and came here to clear out the demonic beasts; if we hadn't encountered you, senior, today, I fear we would all have lost our lives to the beasts."

After hearing him finish, Qin Ming couldn't help but feel somewhat puzzled: "How could merely two third-tier pig demons cause the Southern Wilderness to be in such a state of extreme distress?"

"Is there not Elder Qingxuan of Xuanxi Valley? He possesses late-stage Jin Dan cultivation. And what of Nalan Xi and Wei Wuya; didn't both of them break through to the mid-stage of Jin Dan as well?"

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Huang sighed with emotion and explained:

"Alas! Senior, you may not know that Elder Qingxuan passed away over ten years ago. Not only that, but Grandmaster Gongsun Yang of Xuanxi Valley also exhausted his lifespan and sat in meditation to pass away several years ago."

"Nowadays, Xuanxi Valley is barely holding on, supported solely by Xuan Yu Laozu, who is only at the early stage of Jin Dan."

"Fortunately, it is said that Fang Han, the direct disciple of Grandmaster Gongsun Yang, has the potential to break through to the third-tier Dandao Sect Grandmaster realm, thereby revitalizing Xuanxi Valley."

Hearing this news, Qin Ming, sitting inside the carriage, felt a trace of sighing arise within his heart.

He never expected that with the passage of time and the changing of the world, old acquaintances had already passed away.

Xuanxi Valley, once the strongest power among the four kingdoms, has plummeted to become the lowest existence.

Elder Qingxuan was indeed a person of great responsibility in the Southern Wilderness, as was Grandmaster Gongsun Yang; Qin Ming had once exchanged views on the Dao of Alchemy with him.

His temperament was also quite amiable.

"What about Wei Wuya of Lei Yuanzong, and the two Jin Dan cultivators from Beast King Valley in the Wu Kingdom?" Qin Ming asked indifferently again.

"There are rumors that three years ago, Senior Wei attempted to break through to the late stage of Jin Dan but failed, sustaining a hidden injury, and has been in seclusion healing ever since."

"As for True Person Pei Qing of Beast King Valley, he has mysteriously disappeared; nowadays, the Wu Kingdom relies solely on Senior Lu Xiao to hold the fort."

"On our side in the Wei Kingdom and Canghai Immortal City, the overall situation is currently being jointly managed by the two Jin Dan True Persons, True Person Canghai and True Person Gu."

"If it weren't for these two holding the line, I fear we would have already fallen."

After listening, Qin Ming was rendered speechless for a moment.

He never expected that after his departure, the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm would suffer from a lack of successors, to the point where the situation is now barely sustained by two women.

Before Qin Ming left, he had already pacified both the ghost calamity and the beast tide.

With the deaths of True Person White Bone and the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon, the Modaoliu Sect had already lost their momentum.

He had originally thought the situation in the four kingdoms would gradually improve, but unexpectedly, it has developed in the opposite direction.

Qin Ming asked him a few more questions, but as a small cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, the Huang cultivator's knowledge of upper-level affairs in the Immortal Realm was extremely limited.

'With Wei Wuya's steady nature, he wouldn't recklessly attempt to break through a bottleneck without cause; how could he have been injured and entered seclusion?'

'And why has Pei Qing vanished without reason?'

For a moment, all sorts of doubts swirled in Qin Ming's heart.

Thinking of this, Qin Ming's mind stirred.

The Profound Water Crocodile raised its head and let out a long howl, swung its tail, pulled the Lingxiao Imperial Carriage, and transformed into a brilliant streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.

Everyone watched as the magnificent imperial carriage turned into a colorful streak of light and fled far away; they all remained bowed, and only after a full half-incense stick had passed did they straighten up, wiping the fine sweat from their foreheads.

"Elder Huang, that great expert just now... why is he so knowledgeable about our Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm?"

"Could it be that some reclusive master from one of the Four Kingdoms has returned?"

A Qi Refining cultivator asked tremblingly.

"Matters concerning such great figures are not for casual discussion!"

"Just mind your own mouths, do not bring ruin upon yourselves! Otherwise, the fate of those monstrous beasts shall serve as a warning."

Hearing this, everyone shrank their heads back, daring not to ask further.

As for the cultivator surnamed Huang, he secretly sighed with emotion; if it truly was the return of that legendary cultivator from Moon Gazing Island, then perhaps the Four Kingdoms of the Southern Wilderness Immortal Realm were truly about to undergo a cataclysmic change...

Several days later, at the border of the Four Kingdoms of the Southern Wilderness, in Canghai Immortal City.

Inside the main hall of Canghai Peak, True Person Nalan Xi and Gu Qingzhao were holding a map and discussing countermeasures.

"Sister Nalan, you went to Lei Yuanzong a few days ago to visit Wei Wuya; how is his situation over there?" Gu Qingzhao, dressed in plain robes, asked.

Nalan Xi put down the map in her hand and let out a long sigh: "Alas! Wei Wuya was originally a genius of supreme talent, and he even formed a superior-grade Jin Dan, holding promise for the Great Dao."

"But he was too eager for quick success and instant benefit; he forcibly attempted to break through to the late-stage realm, suffered a backlash of spiritual energy, and this time his meridians and foundation have suffered severe damage; even if healed, I fear his future achievements will stop at the mid-stage of the Jin Dan."

"Fellow Daoist Wei was truly a hero among men; it is indeed a pity, and furthermore, he was only so anxious to breakthrough his cultivation for the sake of the Demonic Path affairs," Gu Qingzhao said lightly.

"Otherwise, with his abilities, had he progressed step by step, entering the late-stage of the Jin Dan within another hundred years or so would have been inevitable."

Just as the two were conversing.

Suddenly! Boom—boom—boom! A earth-shaking thunderous roar came from outside.

The entire Immortal City shook violently three times in succession; countless buildings outside collapsed, immediately followed by innumerable terrified screams of agony.

Nalan Xi and Gu Qingzhao exchanged a glance, their forms blurred, and instantly vanished from within the main hall.

When the two women arrived outside and saw the situation beyond the city, their faces instantly changed drastically!

They saw that outside the Immortal City, a two-headed giant beast, sixty or seventy zhang tall, was continuously ramming against the protective great formation.

It was a Black-Maned Boar Demon King of immense size, particularly conspicuous; this beast possessed two huge heads with protruding fangs, having clearly reached the level of a third-stage mid-tier entity.

The strength of a third-stage mid-tier demonic beast was comparable to that of a human at the late-stage of the Jin Dan.

For a human Immortal City, this was absolutely a catastrophic disaster.

The blue, misty light curtain of the Canghai Immortal City's formation, under its ramming, already appeared precarious and on the verge of collapse.

There were even signs that it was about to be breached.

"It is that two-headed Black-Maned Demon King! Something is wrong; why has it advanced to the mid-tier so quickly?" Nalan Xi's face showed a look of surprise.

Gu Qingzhao spoke in a cold voice: "I fear this is again the doing of those Demonic Path practitioners; the appearance of this group of Black-Maned Boar Demons was already suspicious."

"Fellow Daoist Pei Qing went to investigate this matter, yet to this day there has been no news whatsoever."

"Against a third-stage mid-tier Demon King, even if the two of us attack together, I fear we would not be its match." Nalan Xi quickly made a decision, "I will go and lure it away."

Gu Qingzhao immediately rejected her idea: "No, that is far too dangerous."

"Then what should we do? If this continues, the city will be breached immediately, and at that time, all the cultivators in the entire city, I fear..."

Just as the two were at a loss.

Boom—boom—boom! The space near the Immortal City began to produce inexplicable fluctuations, first rippling like water waves, then shaking violently.

Even the spiritual energy between heaven and earth became chaotic, like boiling water.

This caused everyone to be unsure of what was happening, and they hastily mobilized their magic power to resist the physical discomfort.

Just at this moment.

Roar! Roar!

A startling rainbow suddenly flew in from the distance, radiating five-colored treasure light.

The fleeing light arrived in an instant; it was revealed to be a magnificent and luxurious Lingxiao Imperial Carriage, with a high canopy and enclosed cabin, resembling a palace in the sky.

In front of the treasure carriage was a giant crocodile of terrifying aura pulling the vehicle, flanked by uniform Wave-Treading Seahorses, their momentum like a rainbow, totaling exactly eight steeds.

This style suggested the departure of some Nascent Soul great expert.

The moment this treasure carriage appeared, a massive spiritual pressure suddenly descended.

In an instant, the entire world fell silent.

Even that two-headed Black-Maned Demon King, within its blood-red eyes, revealed a deep sense of fear.

Just as it gave up attacking the city and prepared to flee.

A force of suppression, incomparably fierce and powerful, descended from the heavens and crashed down; the entire massive body of the two-headed Black-Maned Demon King was forcibly slammed into the earth by this power, and then.

From within the carriage, a roguish voice lazily spoke to the outside:

"Second Brother, Master wants you to go easy this time; leave the corpse intact, as he wants to take the body back to study what is going on."

"Absolutely do not be reckless like last time..."

Immediately, the giant crocodile nodded; several bolts of lightning roared from its mouth, striking the two-headed Black-Maned Demon King lying on the ground, causing its two fine pig heads to fly off directly and roll to the side.

The next moment.

A beam of spiritual light fell from within the Lingxiao Imperial Carriage, swept across, and instantly lifted the corpse from the ground, making it vanish.

All the cultivators within Canghai Immortal City stared blankly at all this, forgetting themselves... Nalan Xi and Gu Qingzhao were also utterly shocked, standing frozen in place.

Even the demonic beast pulling the carriage possessed such terrifying strength... Yet suddenly, Nalan Xi said with some uncertainty: "That voice just now; why does it sound somewhat familiar?"

Just at this moment.

Not far away, the Lingxiao Lingxiao Baojia treated the three-tier great formation of Yunze Xiancheng as if it were nothing, shuttling directly through to come to a steady halt before the two women.

The carriage curtain opened, and a young man of ordinary appearance stepped out from within.

The youth resembled an evergreen ancient tree, his demeanor indifferent as water, exuding an aura tempered by the passage of years.

Perched upon his shoulder was a gray mouse demon, arms folded across its chest, grinning broadly as it looked at the two women.

"Fellow Daoist Qin!!"

Nalan Xi and Gu Qingzhao both cried out in shock simultaneously!

First, deep shock and incomprehension appeared on their faces, followed by an indescribable joy; various complex emotions surged into their hearts in an instant.

Yet when they perceived the perfect third-tier demonic energy aura emanating from the Sky-Devouring Mouse, their expressions immediately reverted to awe.

"Sky-Devouring Mouse Demon King, you, you are..." Nalan Xi said, still unable to believe it.

The Sky-Devouring Mouse laughed proudly, patted its chest, and said, "Fellow Daoist Nalan, one should look at a mouse with new eyes after three days, eh hehe!"

Qin Ming's aura was even more unfathomable; with the cultivation of the two women, they could not directly probe its depth at all... "Fellow Daoists, it has been a long time; I hope you have been well since we last met," Qin Ming said with a smile, greeting them both.

Nalan Xi stepped forward, smiling and clasping her hands in flattery: "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin, on your great advancement in cultivation and your triumphant return; please, let us go to the Main Peak to converse."

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin; I did not expect that in merely a few decades, your cultivation would reach such a perfected state. It seems your journey to Great Jin yielded immense opportunities. With this return, you are likely the foremost figure in the Southern Wild Immortal Realm in several thousand years." Gu Qingzhao also recovered from her shock.

Afterwards.

Qin Ming stored away the Lingxiao Lingxiao Baojia and followed the two to the main hall of Canghai Peak.

"Fellow Daoist Nalan, Fellow Daoist Gu, what exactly is happening now?"

"How have the Four Kingdoms of the Southern Wild fallen to such a state?"

Once seated, Qin Ming immediately asked.

After ordering servants to arrange fine spiritual tea, Nalan Xi sighed and said, "This must be traced back several years. Among the six sects of the Modaoliu Sect in the Southern Wild, a demonic hero emerged, reversing the situation that was on the verge of total collapse, creating a strong trend of resurgence from the ashes."

Thanks to Fellow Daoist "Lushan Xiaoxiaozi" for the donation of 100 coins.

Thanks to all fellow daoists for your strong support with votes.

(End of Chapter)