Chapter 144: Things of the Northern Journey and the Conclusion of Matters Here

Inside the Treasure Map.

Fang Longye stood tall and straight, a jade-colored halo crowning his head, his body suffused with precious light, surrounded by swirling mists and clouds that seemed to buoy him up; the sounds of bells and drums echoed faintly, now appearing, now vanishing.

His eyes shone with a brilliant light as he looked out from the Treasure Map, meeting the gaze cast by Zhenwu, only for it to vanish upon contact.

He immediately lowered his eyelids, avoiding the gaze, a strange look surfacing in the depths of his eyes.

Following this contact with Zhenwu, the future Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable, he suddenly grasped a certain thread regarding the specific matters of this so-called Second Tribulation of the Myriad Heavens Era.

Could it be that the specific matters corresponding to this Second Tribulation are none other than the so-called Four Journeys?

The Journey to the West, the Journey to the East, the Journey to the South, and the Journey to the North—a comprehensive "screening" of the Earth Immortal Realm, the main body of the Honghuang world.

The "Journey to the West" is merely the most magnificent, which is why it attracts attention; in terms of principle, it is but one part of the whole.

In any case, regarding the legend of Zhenwu's Journey to the North from his past life, Fang Longye, through the feedback of Heavenly Secrets, had confirmed the certainty of this future event.

The specific process might differ, but Fang Longye had already confirmed through Heavenly Secrets that it was Heaven's Mandate for Zhenwu to journey north and attain the Dao.

And the reason he would have entanglements with Zhenwu in the future lay in the fact that he had established his foundation in Beiju Luzhou.

According to his current plans, it was obvious that he would have entanglements with this future Ancestor of the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing due to luck and karma.

Especially since, under the influence of Heavenly Secrets, he had gained an understanding of the Second Tribulation of the Era—which was whispered about among the upper echelons of the Honghuang—he would certainly not let slip the chance to meddle in the future northern journey of this True Lord of Protection.

If nothing else, just from the many secrets within the Demon Master Mansion's collection, Fang Longye was certain that these were all filled with Merit and Luck!

With the Journey to the West as a template, as the local tyrant of Beiju Luzhou in the future, if Fang Longye did not think of a way to fiercely tear a piece of meat off it, he would truly be unworthy of being a transmigrator.

Fang Longye's mind raced, thinking: "In the original Journey to the West from my past life, after Sun Wukong was pressed under Wuzhi Shan and emerged five hundred years later, the Journey to the West, when it involved this True Lord of Protection, had already become the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable."

"From this, it can be seen that the specific time for this True Lord of Protection to journey north and attain the Dao should be within those five hundred years when the Monkey disappeared from the original text after being suppressed."

"It seems that if I want to get a share of the spoils in the matters of the northern and western journeys..."

"I must at least ascend to Golden Immortal before that Monkey wreaks Havoc in Heaven. Then, during the Havoc in Heaven, I can fish in troubled waters, make a huge profit, and attain the Taiyi realm."

"Only then will I be able to display my skills and seize the fortune within, whether it be in the matters of the northern, western, southern, or eastern journeys."

To say nothing else, if one wants to cut a share of the benefits from the plate already reserved by this True Lord of Protection, without Taiyi cultivation, everything is just empty talk.

Don't even mention that he, Fang Longye, has a background; as if anyone else doesn't.

These little calculations spun rapidly in the depths of Fang Longye's mind. He even secretly warned himself that before he had sufficient strength, he must absolutely not expose his intentions.

Not to mention anything else, no matter how vast the Merit and Luck that this northern journey could bring, it could not be infinite.

The plan he had settled on, to put it nicely, was to act as one of the immortals and gods of the universe, adding trials for the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable to attain the Dao.

To put it bluntly, it was to act as a demon of the Northern Continent, intending to obstruct the Profound Heaven Emperor from attaining the Dao.

As for the final verdict.

Whether he was an immortal or god who deliberately imposed trials on the path of this True Lord of Protection to attain the Dao, or a member of the horde of demons swept away by the True Martial Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable during his attainment of the Dao.

That would depend on the size of his fist.

Thinking of this, he calmed his heart and bowed to Zhenwu across the distance, becoming even more respectful.

New bamboo grew in clusters, casting uneven shadows.

On the flying rocks on both sides, there was bright light, shining brilliantly.

The flames of light were sparse, swirling with the void into pearls, falling to the ground from time to time with a tinkling sound.

Zhenwu wore a smile, nodding to Fang Longye across the Treasure Map.

He appeared calm and indifferent, but deep down, he had long since developed a keen interest in Fang Longye.

It was not for any other reason; just as Fang Longye could perceive, as an existence only one step away from the Daluo realm, he could naturally sense the future entanglements between the two.

However, it was slightly different from Fang Longye.

Because Fang Longye had some memories of his past life as a reference, and the initiative of whether to meddle in the northern journey lay with Fang Longye.

The Heavenly Secrets that Zhenwu had fathomed were only that he would have entanglements with this Dragon Lord, Fang Longye, on his path to attaining the Dao; the specific aspects were not clear.

For Zhenwu, this was long since a common occurrence. For him, who understood his own path to attaining the Dao, such entanglements were not few in number.

As the destined Black Emperor of the North, he would naturally have entanglements with the people and affairs of Beiju Luzhou, with no escape.

The only difference was whether they were large or small.

He was merely curious that this fellow Daoist, who was currently only in the True Immortal Realm, could actually generate such significant entanglements when he attained the Daluo realm in the future.

"Sure enough, worthy of being an existence that can attract the attention of Master," Zhenwu thought to himself.

Previously, when Fang Longye set up the Two Instruments Weichen Array, such a great commotion naturally did not fail to attract the attention of some great powers.

Especially the incarnation of Taiqing—Taishang Laojun, who had a deep connection with this array—naturally cast his gaze upon it.

He even said with some emotion: "The word 'fate' is truly wondrous beyond words."

And at that time, Zhenwu was stoking the fire in Doushuai Gong, so he naturally heard it clearly.

Therefore, he did not harbor any thoughts because the Heavenly Secrets indicated that Fang Longye would have entanglements with him on his path to attaining the Dao.

After all, good causes and good fruits are also entanglements! Of course, besides this reason, it was also because the various karmic entanglements he could currently perceive were as vast as the sea, and he simply could not attend to them all.

In essence, this was the human tribulation he had to face to attain the Daluo realm, which was fundamentally unavoidable.

He could only wait until he attained the Dao in the future, when these karmic entanglements arrived at his door, to meet each move with a countermove.

While both sides had different thoughts, Zhao Heng, the Golden Immortal commander, finally led the group of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to deal with the matters here for the most part.

The entire Yuanyang Sect was wiped out. The various cultivation resources seized were also counted one by one.

The entire mountain grounds appeared magnificent, yet it was deathly silent.

There was no chirping of birds, no buzzing of insects.

In all directions, an aura of deathly silence surged back and forth.

A true bloodbath.

It could be said that even a fly was deliberately annihilated, leaving no trace of life.

Only a group of victims with somewhat notable backgrounds remained, having been apprehended by Zhao Heng.

Zhenwu looked at the hundred or so people before him and could not help but frown.

He saw that these people were all dressed in sheer garments and barefoot, with powdered faces and painted brows, dressed as women, acting coy and affected.

If not for their decent Aura and bursts of Divine Light, he would have thought he had arrived at a brothel or pleasure house in the mortal world, seeing some effeminate boys or catamites.

"Commandant Zhao, didn't I say it? Clean and thorough!" A look of disgust appeared on Zhenwu's face as he rebuked Zhao Heng with dissatisfaction.

Although this group were victims, it could be said that their downfall here was entirely an unprovoked disaster.

But the cultivation world never speaks of fairness.

To them, and to the forces behind them, their best ending was death—and it had to be the kind of extinction where both body and soul are destroyed, with absolutely no chance of reincarnation.

They must not be captured and have their identities revealed.

Otherwise, it would cause a massive uproar. Zhao Heng looked embarrassed.

He did indeed harbor some small ulterior motives, seeing that among these victims whose wives and daughters had been snatched by the Yuanyang Sect, there was no lack of those with profound backgrounds.

He had thought about whether there might be a turning point. As it turned out, it seemed he had thought too simply.

Hearing these words from Zhenwu, the surroundings immediately fell into a silence.

These immortals, who were victims, all had faces ashen like death.

Hmph—Zhenwu sized up these so-called victims.

He discovered that each one was either from a famous orthodox sect or had elders serving in the Heavenly Court.

He had originally anticipated that among these victims, those with profound backgrounds were not limited to that descendant of Zhao Heng's. There were simply more that had not been exposed.

Now that he looked, indeed! There were actually over a hundred victims with quite a foundation, enough for Zhao Heng to show mercy; this Juyang Laoxian truly had a way about him.

Looking again at their Aura, it already revealed a kind of mixed and evil quality.

It stood to reason that they had all practiced the evil Dharma specifically prepared by the Yuanyang Sect for male victims, a technique that relied on being humiliated to stimulate negative emotions, thereby obtaining power.

It sounded like it did not belong to the righteous path, naturally making those who practiced it appear evil.

Good heavens, there was even a descendant of Qisha Xingjun among them; he did not know how they had fallen to this state.

He also did not know how Zhang Kui was looking after his juniors, as he was not attentive at all.

His friendship with Qisha Xingjun was quite good. After all, given the strength of the two of them, they still had plenty of common language.

This Xingjun had fought to a draw with that person from Guanjiangkou during the Conferring of the Gods Tribulation.

Such a brilliant figure, even after entering the Investiture of the Gods, could hardly conceal his radiance.

Over these years, he could be considered to have a resounding reputation.

Yet he never expected such misfortune in the family!

Zhenwu shook his head.

What a pity—

Never mind that the orders from above were absolute.

Better to kill the wrong ones than to let one go.

Even out of consideration for the times he had sparred with Qisha Xingjun and been guided in his cultivation by this veteran Taiyi, he had to think for his friend and eliminate this scandal.

He immediately waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to finish the job quickly.

Seeing this, the subordinates led by Wang Lingguan did not hesitate; one after another, they either unleashed Spirit Treasures or performed divine abilities, striking down at these victims.

No accidents occurred; in an instant, these victims had their essence, Qi, and spirit scattered, and their souls flew away and scattered immediately.

Even reincarnation was no longer possible.

They were completely extinguished between heaven and earth.

This was the will of the figures above in the Heavenly Court. Any possibility of this scandal leaking out must not exist.

Once and for all, clean and thorough.

In an instant, the wind swept away the clouds.

Not even a speck of mottled blood remained.

Only wisps of resentment and reluctance lingered in the mountains, not dispersing for a long time.

The sky full of Divine Light scattered, and everything was declared finished, clean and thorough, leaving no loose ends.

Having witnessed all this.

Zhenwu remained unmoved.

Facing the somewhat dejected Zhao Heng, he did not offer hypocritical comfort.

He merely patted Zhao Heng on the shoulder and said, "Distribute the seized supplies among the brothers below, prepare to set off, and it is time to return to report the mission."

Regarding this sentiment of an elder toward a junior like Zhao Heng, even though he was born extraordinary, nearly naturally formed by heaven and earth, he could still understand it.

But one must always look forward—furthermore, among these victims whom Zhao Heng deliberately left to be dealt with last, which one did not have a profound background? Their family elders were either officials in the Heavenly Court or elders of some immortal sect or Daoist school.

Which one did not have ancestors backing them? But so what?

How could a scandal involving the reputation of various forces be treated leniently just because they were victims? For these victims, this was a great vortex; once they entered, they were tainted with trouble, and it was difficult to end well.

To want to show leniency, how could that be possible?

Talk of being forced, of being victims—those who died before them, those victims without foundations, which one of them was not also a victim? Compared to the victims without foundations, they had at least lived for a while longer.

And they even had Zhao Heng, a Golden Immortal commandant, inquire about their life and death.

That was good enough—furthermore, if one were to really calculate it, it was just that Zhao Heng, as an elder, was not capable enough, lacked strength, and could not protect his own juniors.

If the elder were a second-generation disciple of a Daluo, how would they have fallen to this place? They would have long since had the risks avoided by their elders from the source of time and space.

Distributing the cultivation resources obtained from this battle and reorganizing the troops, Zhenwu immediately prepared to set off to return to the Heavenly Court to report.

Before departing, he ordered his trusted aide Wang Lingguan to lead a detachment of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals and remain here.

Thoroughly purge the territory within the sphere of influence of the Yuanyang Sect; root out all the various schemes and hidden agents planted by the Brahma sect, leaving no future troubles behind.

Then, he turned toward the direction of the Treasure Map where Fang Longye was, smiled, and nodded in greeting.

He immediately mounted a five-colored spirit turtle, led a group of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, rode the clouds and mist, soared straight into the nine heavens, and vanished from sight.

Inside the Treasure Map.

Willows swayed in the mist by the pond, and springs splashed and sprayed.

The old beggar, who had remained aloof and indifferent, merely watching the show in silence, took a swig of his wine and said to Fang Longye with a smile, "This little fellow is quite interesting; he even specifically left a treasure vault for you."

Fang Longye looked outside the Treasure Map at a treasure vault deep within the mountain grounds, where the spiritual energy was abundant and Divine Light rose steadily.

He knew clearly that, just as the old beggar had said, this treasure vault was indeed left specifically for him by this True Monarch of Holy Protection.

It was by no means an oversight or a forgotten treasure vault; for apart from this, the entire mountain grounds had become almost barren, with not a blade of grass left.

He grumbled inwardly: "His methods are certainly practiced, and he doesn't discriminate when it comes to plundering. Scraping the earth three feet deep—is this really someone from the Heavenly Court? Is it really a case of 'even the landlord's family has no surplus grain'?"

Then, relaxing his mind, he immediately turned his head and flattered the old beggar: "It is merely a treasure vault; compared to your own wealth, senior, I fear it is but a drop in the ocean."

"I imagine the opportunity and fortune you promised me earlier must be ten thousand times more precious."

"Enough, you brat, there's no need to use words to provoke this old man," the old beggar waved his hand and said irritably.

Immediately, the old beggar straightened his expression, no longer maintaining his previous lazy posture.

He simply looked Fang Longye over once more and praised him with a tsk: "Earlier, I thought I had cast a divination for you, and the Heavenly Secrets revealed therein were enough to count as a rare opportunity for you."

"Yet I never expected that you are truly gifted; you actually discovered this Heavenly Secret yourself. All my efforts were in vain~"

"Rest assured, the fortune and opportunity I am about to bestow upon you will definitely be something worth showing off."

(End of chapter)