Chapter 172: A Purgatory for Cultivators, A Paradise for Mortals

Almost the very day after Master Chongguang's reincarnation, Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person personally exited seclusion to take command, summoning Daoist Yinshan and Lu Yang to the Holy Fire Cliff.

"For this southern expedition, Yuan Tu shall take the lead."

Sitting at the head of the hall, Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person stated calmly, "I will personally oversee operations to ensure no Golden Core True Persons interfere in this southern campaign."

"Furthermore, most Great True Persons at the peak of Foundation Establishment will not participate; everyone has their own self-interest, and for them, having Master Chongguang pave the way is exactly what they desire, so they won't bother obstructing us. As for Great True Persons in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, most are pursuing perfection and will also stay out of it."

"Moreover, Master Chongguang has already made arrangements."

"Even if some Great True Persons do join this battle, you need not worry; someone else will handle them. Your opponents will only be those in the mid and early stages of Foundation Establishment."

Hearing this, Lu Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Disciple accepts the order."

Master Chongguang True Person's arrangements were indeed reassuring; he was not being asked to challenge opponents above his realm, facing only mid and early stages, which gave him some confidence!

"Very good."

Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person nodded, a sudden killing intent flashing between her embroidered brows: "For this campaign, I want you to invade the 【Qing Kingdom】, annihilate its sects, and seize its spiritual veins!"

"The 【Qing Kingdom】 is a nail driven by the Dao Court into our Jiangbei region. Under its rule are five Foundation Establishment powers: the Zhao-Xia clan, the Yuan-Chen clan, the Wuxing Sect, the Panyun Sect, and the Shangxuan Sword Sect. Of these five, the Shangxuan Sword Sect is dominant; its sect master received support from the Sword Pavilion and has now reached the peak of the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."

Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person briefly outlined the situation.

For a True Person, the details of mere Foundation Establishment powers were as clear as the lines on one's palm; since she spoke of them, there could be no error or omission.

Finally, Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person spoke with decisive clarity:

"This concerns Master Chongguang's quest for gold. Once you head south, do not hold back. Kill, plunder, destroy... I have long found that wonder of the 【Qing Kingdom】 an eyesore!"

Without a second word, Lu Yang immediately bowed low.

"We respectfully obey the True Person's divine decree!"

Moments later, Lu Yang and Daoist Yinshan mounted their遁 light and departed from the Sky-Touching Cloud Sea. Of course, Master Chongguang True Person had not assigned only these two to the southern expedition.

In fact, they were primarily the leaders in charge.

With Qingcheng Qingcheng Feixue True Person personally issuing the order this time, the force behind it was far greater than the past destruction of the Shenwu Sect. A single deployment edict from the True Person saw all of Jiangbei responding.

Clearly, Master Chongguang True Person had been making arrangements long ago. The 【Qing Kingdom】 was already surrounded tightly by various sects, large and small, from Jiangbei. The two sides had been in a standoff, sitting in meditation for several months now, like a barrel of gunpowder waiting for someone to ignite it.

Along the way, Lu Yang did not forget to converse with Daoist Yinshan.

"Although the True Person has ordered me to take charge this time, I am young after all and lack sufficient experience and wisdom, far inferior to Senior Brother Yinshan's maturity and steadiness."

"Therefore, I beg Senior Brother to offer much guidance and help me plug any gaps."

"... rother Yuan Tu overstates things."

Daoist Yinshan waved his hand, though his expression showed he was quite pleased; clearly, Lu Yang's respectful and polite attitude gave him great face.

Moreover, since the two of them were bound together in this endeavor, Daoist Yinshan did not hold back, returning the courtesy: "Junior Brother, do not underestimate this 【Qing Kingdom】. Senior Brother Master Chongguang and I once calculated heavenly secrets and studied it carefully; this wonder has truly been managed by the Dao Court like an iron bucket."

"Or rather, this is simply how the Dao Court's system works."

"Regarding external expansion, they might still be lacking, but in defending their homeland, the 【Qing Kingdom】 is like an eternal dynasty; its rules are nearly impossible to reverse."

"Does the Dao Court's system mean acting as the heavens' hunter of the Dao?"

Lu Yang frowned slightly; until now, he had never truly visited regions under other powers' rule, and he hadn't even properly seen Jiangbei itself.

This expedition was indeed an opportunity.

Thinking thus, Lu Yang looked at Daoist Yinshan again and asked curiously, "Please elaborate, Senior Brother. What exactly makes this 【Qing Kingdom】, or the Dao Court, so different?"

Daoist Yinshan fell silent for a moment before continuing:

"In one sentence: a purgatory for cultivators, a paradise for mortals."

"What is learned from books always feels shallow; I am merely telling you this, and you cannot grasp it deeply. Once we arrive and you see it with your own eyes, you will understand."

Jiangbei, 【Qing Kingdom】.

This wonder encompassed five provinces, ruling over more than a million people. Beyond this place lay the 【Great Dragon River】, which divided the powers of the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest.

Riding their遁 light, Lu Yang and Daoist Yinshan quietly arrived here but did not rush to meet the various Jiangbei forces gathered in the area. Instead, they first went to a sparsely populated city, currently garrisoned by a demonic sect from Jiangbei, the Xiangqu Sect.

"This place originally belonged to the 【Qing Kingdom】."

Daoist Yinshan explained, "Although they have been driven out now, the 【Qing Kingdom】's influence remains, and it has not yet fully recovered."

"Ho ho..."

A look of surprise appeared on Lu Yang's face. Suddenly, he reached out and remotely retrieved a book hidden by a family in the city.

The cover bore only two large characters: *Daozang*!

"Under the Dao Court's rule, the *Daozang* is used to establish examinations for selecting scholars. Only mortals who pass these exams and earn official rank become cultivators; those without such rank are deemed heretics."

"Thus, the first step in cultivation is to read the *Daozang* and pass the 【Child Scholar Examination】."

"Next come the 【Talented Person】, 【Recommended Person】, and 【Presented Scholar】... yet these are merely reserves for cultivators, holding titles but possessing no true cultivation base."

"Only after obtaining the position of 【Presented Scholar】, bribing one's way up, seeking masters and friends, and finally receiving the Dao Court's reward—an appointed official post bestowed from above—does one truly enter the gate of cultivation... Even so, under the Dao Court's rule, these titled mortals are not to be trifled with."

"This is because, under the Dao Court's rule, all myriad methods are forbidden!"

"Cultivators below Foundation Establishment who lack the Dao Court's official rank or title, even if they have reached the great perfection of Qi Condensation, cannot display the slightest supernatural ability."

"For in the Dao Court, all spiritual energy in heaven and earth has an owner."

"Even a wisp of spiritual energy belongs to the Dao Court. Any cultivator without an official title who inhales and exhales the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is stealing public property and will be executed along with nine generations of their clan."

"Under such circumstances, any mortal holding an official title needs only to shout in anger to cause an illegal cultivator to collapse paralyzed on the ground."

Regarding this, the *Daozang* even contains a specific account: a Ninth Grade county magistrate of the Qing Kingdom was once hated by an illegal cultivator. The latter refined an unbounded flying sword to assassinate the magistrate, but with a single rebuke from the magistrate, the sword fell, its magic power completely scattered. The cultivator was then beaten to death by soldiers with clubs.

"... hat a Dao Court!"

Reading this, Lu Yang finally understood Daoist Yinshan's earlier description. Such a rule could truly be called a purgatory for cultivators!

As for a paradise for mortals...

"I am not so sure." Lu Yang's gaze grew deep.

Admittedly, under the Dao Court, the common people lived in peace and contentment, with favorable weather and good harvests. However, their class structure had completely solidified, leaving almost no room for upward mobility.

In essence, they were still herding the people like livestock.

"It is just that the Dao Court's manner of eating looks slightly better..."

Does feeding livestock until they are full and fat mean they are no longer livestock? It is merely a pretense; eventually, they will still be taken out to be eaten!

Indeed, when the time comes to eat, the people under the Dao Court's rule do not even have the power to resist!

One must know that even in Jiangbei, under the Holy Sect's rule, there have been great sects that produced True Persons. If one tried to herd the people of Jiangbei like livestock, resistance would surely arise.

However, in Jiangdong, such a thing would never happen.

With a single edict from the Son of Heaven of the Dao Court, no matter how many died, there would be no resistance. Under the Dao Court's rule, those in higher positions hold the power of life and death over those below!

(End of Chapter)