Chapter 755: The Window Opens

"You two are quite sensible."

Master Shu Yu fell silent for a moment, then let out two low, dissatisfied laughs.

Things that were broken in spirit in Da Nanzhou—better to discard them outright; as for cultivation grounds, who would ever have too many?

"..."

Hearing this group speak so brazenly about the ownership of Tashan, True Person Master Yun Miao felt displeasure, but glancing at You Yao seated above, he could only suppress his discontent.

He had originally thought his Dao heart's turmoil stemmed from an uncertain future and lack of belonging.

But now he had already descended the mountain and had a rough direction—and yet that faint unease within him still refused to fade.

"What exactly is going on..."

True Person Master Yun Miao stepped out of the hall, seeking to clear his mind.

He Tong nodded politely to him; though inwardly he looked down on this senior brother of Lingxu Cave, since the man was willing to yield, from today onward they were essentially family.

You Yao's ambitions extended far beyond mere control of a few prefectures.

She was the first to enter the calamity, her sole focus fixed on that final position; with such grand ambitions, she naturally needed a cadre of allies.

Fellow disciples like True Person Master Yun Miao—possessing cultivation but lacking sufficient courage—were perfectly suited.

"Wait."

As True Person Master Yun Miao was about to respond, he suddenly saw a streak of red light streak across the sky, and at the same moment, that faint unease in his heart surged violently.

"Chi Yun Cave?"

"It's heading toward Lingxu Cave."

He Tong likewise looked up, sprouted wings, gave a slight flap, and vanished from his spot, directly intercepting the distant crimson cloud.

"Are you headed to Lingxu Cave? True Person Master Yun Miao is currently a guest at Qingguang Mountain."

Before his words had fully faded, the red cloud slowly dispersed, revealing the figure within.

The instant he saw that cold, hard face, He Tong's entire body trembled, wishing he could slap himself.

He had imagined the cloud-rider might be a direct disciple of Chi Yun Cave—but he never expected the one he'd intercepted to be a Slain Hunyuan Great Golden Immortal.

"Little servant pays homage to Chi Yun Daxian!"

Such Golden Immortals ignored mortal affairs, spending years in cultivation and contemplation, only appearing when the Sect Lord taught the Dao—what had happened today to make this one leave Chi Yun Cave?

The man's expression was indifferent, his blood-red flowing-cloud robe flaring in the wind.

He gave no reply, merely turned and shot toward Qingguang Mountain.

Before his form even arrived, You Yao—who had been lounging moments before—had already led her junior brothers and sisters out to greet him.

"We pay homage to Elder Brother Chi Yun!"

"Hmm."

Chi Yunzi coldly acknowledged You Yao, then swept his gaze over the group, finally settling on Master Yun Miao, who displayed the most humble demeanor.

The Sanxian Sect disciples who had been laughing moments ago now dared not even breathe.

Master Yun Miao, pinned under that gaze, felt drenched in sweat, instinctively burying his head even deeper.

A flicker of disdain passed through Chi Yunzi's eyes.

The next instant, he casually swept his sleeve, and four streaks of light shot out, lying quietly on the ground.

As the light faded, what lay within was revealed.

Even You Yao's heart leapt; she unconsciously loosened her grip.

In Beizhou, corpses of Sanxian Sect members were rare—let alone four at once, all prominent figures.

But what truly startled her was the faint golden radiance lingering on the corpses.

Golden Light shatters all methods, subdues demons and evils—this was the work of a Practitioner!

Light like a great river, scouring the Dao body, directly crushing these men to death... at least a Bodhisattva who had reached the pinnacle of ninety-nine transformations.

"..."

True Person Master Yun Miao's breath stopped; his eyes locked on one female corpse, his face suddenly turning ashen.

He finally understood the source of his unease.

Ling Su was dead—and killed by Puti Sect!

He suddenly looked up, meeting the calm, depthless gaze of Elder Brother Chi Yun—and instantly his back soaked through.

"What were they doing?" Chi Yunzi's voice held no inflection.

Yet anyone could see the fury simmering within this Slain Hunyuan Great Golden Immortal.

Chi Yun Cave had seven disciples total—nearly half now lay dead.

His own pupil, raised by his own hands, slain right before his eyes—even a Golden Immortal beyond the two realms would find it impossible to remain unmoved.

"Elder Brother! Master Yun Miao... Master Yun Miao truly does not know!"

True Person Master Yun Miao swallowed hard; his fear of this enraged elder brother swiftly drowned out his grief over his junior sister's demise.

He instinctively began shifting blame: "Ling Su only told me she was going out with a few fellow disciples from Chi Yun Cave to relax—she never specified what they planned, nor how they encountered Puti Sect people. This has nothing to do with Master Yun Miao."

"..."

Seeing this reply, Chi Yunzi's eyes slowly filled with chilling frost.

At that moment, You Yao suddenly straightened, gazing intently.

"You speak," Chi Yunzi shifted his gaze to her.

"Investigate Beizhou. Demand blood in recompense."

Master You Yao lifted her chin slightly, her Bai Xi jawline clear and elegant; her eyes narrowed: "If they dared come in, they won't leave."

Hearing this, the frost in Chi Yunzi's eyes receded slightly; he said gravely: "When you have time, ask your master to visit my Chi Yun Cave."

With those words, he swept his sleeve again, whisking away three corpses, then transformed into a vast crimson cloud that surged skyward.

They waited until this martial uncle departed.

Only then did the crowd collectively exhale, immediately fixing their gazes on Sister Ling Su on the ground, looking at that face that had been dead for a long time yet still brimmed with terror and despair, their eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

"These thieving monks, daring to stretch their claws into Beizhou — they've truly grown tired of living!"

Before the great tribulation, disciples of the two sects cultivated together, rose to take up official posts in the heavens side by side, and exchanged pleasantries when they met — quite the harmonious scene.

Yet in the span of mere days, even lofty third-rank cultivators had begun slaughtering one another, their methods so utterly cruel.

Since the other side showed no benevolence, they could hardly blame themselves and their people for being unjust in return.

At this point Shen Shan Laozu did not dare utter a single word more; he could only secretly cast a grateful glance toward Yu Chi Laozu — it was thanks to the other's steady composure.

In just how short a time had the Puti Sect already come killing their way into Beizhou.

He only hoped it wasn't that Subduing-Dragon-Taming-Tiger Bodhisattva from South Xumi; if it truly was that fierce deity… the two of them would have to be far more cautious, and seeing how brazenly Taixu Danhuang had acted, hastily seizing a dao-field — once that fierce deity set his sights on them, there'd be no tears left to cry.

"Hoo…"

True Person Master Yun Miao stepped forward and gathered Sister Ling Su into his arms, yet for reasons unknown, compared to grief, what lingered in his heart was more a trace of lingering dread.

It really had been only the thinnest sliver away from being swept up in that great tribulation.

If he hadn't had a sudden insight in his heart and come to Qingguang Cave, and struck up a connection with that senior sister Youyao.

Then this incident would surely have landed squarely on his own head.

The very thought of having to lead the charge, to seek out those monks of unknown depth for revenge, sent a chill down True Person Master Yun Miao's spine.

Just those who had struck this time were at least Bodhisattvas of the same realm as himself; these people dared venture deep into Beizhou to commit violence — who knew how many other cultivators of profound strength they had hidden behind them.

So close! So close!

"Send word of this matter to the other cave dwellings — the Puti Sect has violated our Beizhou. Activate the formations; first, find these monks."

At Youyao's single command, several disciples of Qingguang Cave swiftly produced jade slips.

As the chief disciple of the same lineage, the jade slips she sent out were clearly far more effective than those of True Person Master Yun Miao.

Within a few days, jade slip after jade slip came back with replies.

When it came to facing an outside threat, the entirety of Beizhou was astonishingly united.

……

At the borders of Beizhou, it had not yet touched the original scope of the Divine Dynasty.

Several cultivators rode their swords through the air, wandering among the white clouds — how carefree and free.

They headed straight ahead.

In an instant, an invisible pressure descended; the faces of the few changed drastically, yet they had no choice but to steady themselves and sweep down toward the ground.

Before they had even landed, over a dozen streaks of clear light wove and intersected across the sky, transforming into a prism radiating ten hues of treasure-light.

"Fellow daoists from what quarter — what is the meaning of this?!"

The few furrowed their brows; they had clearly revealed only fifth-rank cultivation, which counted as nothing remarkable in a place like Beizhou, yet faced with such a sudden change, they were not overly flustered.

"Fellow daoists?"

A snicker of laughter rang out from all around.

The next moment, numerous cultivators in differing attire slowly revealed themselves; though they came from different immortal lineages, the lowest among them in cultivation had all reached the third-rank Great Luo Immortal realm.

The leader wore a mocking expression, pointing up at the prism in the sky: "What manner of fellow daoists do you lot count as?"

The few who had been riding their swords instinctively looked up, only to see that in that brightly gleaming mirror surface, their own figures were clearly reflected — yet not as cultivators riding the wind in leisurely travel, but as a group of monks in cassocks.

"……"

Seeing their cover blown, the few exchanged glances and helplessly revealed their true forms.

A full five Bodhisattvas had disguised themselves and slipped into Beizhou.

One of them sighed, pressed his palms together and said: "Honored ones, we hail from South Xumi; we have come to Beizhou with no ill intent, only following the dharma decree of our sect to investigate certain matters. We ask that you lift your noble hands and let us pass."

As he spoke, his heart too was utterly perplexed.

That shouldn't be the case — given the Yisanxian Sect's power in Beizhou, where was the need for such caution.

"No ill intent?"

The disciples of the Sanxian Sect, upon hearing this, simultaneously curled their lips into a cruel smile: "Save those words for the senior brothers and sisters who died so tragically in Elder Chi Yun Cave."

No matter how viciously our own people fought among themselves, that was family business.

A pack of monks, daring to lay their fingers on Beizhou's incense and fire — seeking death!

They spoke no further, but directly summoned their dharma artifacts and mobilized the vast tribulation-force; the prism in the sky slowly began to turn, the long rays it projected carrying a ten-thousandfold sharpness, directly trapping those five Bodhisattvas within it to die.

The two sides were of similar cultivation; on one side, they had long been prepared and had the great formation to aid them, while on the other, they had been caught completely off guard.

The few Bodhisattvas didn't even have time to manifest their dharma-bodies before the dharma artifacts raining down from all sides left them utterly unable to parry.

"Honored ones! There is no need to go this far!"

They were finally beginning to panic.

Even if they themselves had come to Beizhou in disguise, at worst they'd offer apologies and that would be that — they hadn't done anything else, so why was the other side coming in with the stance of killers right from the start?

Besides, they had only just set foot here — what connection did the disciples who died so tragically in Elder Chi Yun Cave have to them?!

"Please hear us explain…"

Those words appeared utterly feeble beneath the treasure-light of dharma artifacts filling the sky.

The many Sanxian Sect disciples had no intention of listening to their sophistry; now that people had died in Beizhou and the culprits were the Puti Sect, any single monk's head could be exchanged for prestige and standing within the Zijizai Sect, and even rewards from Elder Chi Yun Cave and Lingxu Cave.

They all went all-out, determined to utterly suppress and slay this group of monks right here.

"……"

Just as the few Bodhisattvas were struggling to hold on.

On the surface of that prism in the sky, a hand quietly appeared — a hand fair, Bai Xi, and beautiful to the extreme; it gently brushed across the mirror surface, and the great formation that could have trapped and slain numerous Bodhisattvas was instantly covered in cracks.

Crack.

The dissipation of the great formation finally gave the several Bodhisattvas room to catch their breath.

The many Sanxian Sect disciples were stunned for a moment, then looked up at the sky in unison, their gazes drawn by that palm in exactly the same way.

The next instant, that fair, clean palm waved lightly once more.

They saw the magical instruments filling the sky suddenly all sweep back, and under the terrified gazes of the Sanxian Sect disciples, they slammed violently into their own masters with a force a hundred times greater than before!

"Great Self-Existence… meddling in the affairs of juniors… are you not afraid of the Sect Master…"

Before the Sanxian Sect disciples could finish speaking, they were blasted to death in an instant.

His plain white robe hanging wide open, revealing a lean, sturdy chest, the Monk walked slowly down from the heavens, his bare feet settling silently onto the ground.

"We pay respects to the Great Self-Existence Pure Jing Jing Shi Pusa!"

The several Venerables who had escaped death had no time to catch their breath, and all bowed respectfully toward him.

"Continue the investigation."

The Pure Jing Jing Shi Pusa raised his eyes and gazed into the distance.

The destruction of the great demons of Da Nanzhou, the disappearance of the many Bodhisattvas, and the whereabouts of the future World-Honored One's disciple—all required an explanation.

He had come to the mortal world in person to investigate, and discovered that within the Zhousanxian Sect of Da Nanzhou, several third-rank cultivators had all left their mountain gates and vanished without a trace; presumably they were those in the know.

As for the unusual behavior of these Beizhou cultivators, for the moment he could not spare them any attention.

"Jiang Long, why is it that you alone survived?"

"And where are you?"

Apart from Elder Yu Chi Shen Shan, who had fled Da Nanzhou, and the likes of Shen Xu, there was also one of their own people who was equally shrouded in strangeness.

The Pure Jing Jing Shi Pusa lowered his eyes slightly, looked at his own palm, then slowly and forcefully closed his fingers into a fist.

His gaze was utterly indifferent.

……

Kaiyuan Prefecture, Tashan.

A figure in a black dress had appeared here; she stood with her hands clasped behind her back, quietly looking down at what lay below.

"Jiang Shijie Youyao, is there anything unusual about this place?" True Person Master Yun Miao's face showed a trace of awkwardness—he recalled that when he left, in order to win over Taixu Danhuang he had spoken those words to him, and now the ownership of Tashan was no longer something he could decide.

"Nothing."

Youyao gazed at the young man within Tashan.

Sister Ling Su's departure was because her dojo had been encroached upon. Though she did not know Sister Ling Su, upon careful reflection, a proud Beizhou disciple should not have stepped aside for a cultivator who had fled here from Da Nanzhou.

The other's so-called relaxing stroll was very likely an attempt to do something shady. It happened that Brother Mao Feng of Elder Chi Yun Cave was on good terms with him, and Brother Mao Feng had lost a great demon at this young man's hands.

She still needed to observe further.

(End of this chapter)