Chapter 774: The Counterattack of Lingxu Cave

In recent days, Master Yun Miao True Person had become like an accountant fiddling with abacus beads, haggling over every single coin.

He who had barely ever touched the Dao field was now unusually attentive to Youyao's orders.

First, the imperial qi must be gathered in full—otherwise he couldn't fulfill his duty—but under that premise, he couldn't let the people of these four prefectures die out completely, or what use would he have in holding four dead, desolate lands?

To this end, Master Yun Miao True Person racked his brains, directing Qingguang Cave disciples to roam through the Dao field, not only replicating the tricks he'd seen in Kaiyuan Prefecture—building shelters for refugees, providing unlimited water and grain—but also personally overseeing the expressions and attitudes of his disciples, assuming the full demeanor of the master of Qingguang Cave.

After all, only when the people had experienced good days would they feel greater pain upon losing them, and only then would the rarity and grace of the Immortal's mercy become clear.

Many Qingguang Cave disciples, out of respect for Master Youyao, obeyed without question, yet behind closed doors they couldn't help gossiping about this overly eager "outsider."

There is no wall in the world that doesn't leak wind, let alone in Beizhou, where all cultivators belong to the same sect.

Soon, the changes in these four prefectures, led by Zhenning Fucheng, drew the attention of many fellow disciples.

"Sister Youyao doesn't look like she's given up at all."

"Could it be that if direct methods won't work, she'll resort to covert ones? Just as Taixu Zhenjun took Kaiyuan Prefecture, she plans to copy him and influence the Dao fields of other fellow disciples?"

"Never mind Sister Youyao—how come Brother Master Yun Miao is acting like a groveling lackey, and enjoying it too, as if the imperial qi of these four prefectures were his share?"

These recent changes had clearly shattered Youyao's prestige within the sect; in the past, no one would have dared speak so casually about this sister.

Listening to the laughter and chatter of his fellow disciples,

Li Shan True Person fell silent, gazing toward Zhenning Fucheng, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Contrary to everyone's speculation, what he saw was that Youyao hadn't just surrendered—she intended to quit entirely.

Of course, no matter what the woman planned, she could no longer compete for the final imperial throne.

Li Shan's real concern was that Youyao's posture of draining these four prefectures dry was meant to use the imperial qi to cultivate into a Jin Xian, and after such a crushing setback, she must be seething with rage.

And with such haste to break through—could it be she had given up herself, yet still wanted to drag others down with her?

Li Shan wasn't afraid of a mad woman; even if her target was unlikely to be him, even if she truly succeeded in cultivation, the sect's elders would never stand idly by while she harmed him, the senior disciple of Xuanwei Cave.

He feared that in her fury, Youyao would break the rules—turning what should have been a voluntary trial among disciples, a fair contest for the throne of Heaven and Earth, into an uncontrollable chaos.

"Brother Li Shan, where are you going?"

The other disciples noticed the anomaly and turned to look at him in confusion.

Li Shan smiled helplessly. Youyao's withdrawal was certainly good for him—fewer powerful rivals—but he couldn't stand by and let her turn this great calamity into something filthy and foul, harming both others and himself, inviting disaster.

"I must go persuade our Youyao True Person."

…

Zhenning Fucheng, though years had passed since the city's fall, remained a ruin.

A thick stench of urine and feces hung in the air.

Even if Master Yun Miao True Person were a Da Luo Immortal, as long as he refused, these odors could not touch him—but merely seeing the scene around him, he instinctively pressed a handkerchief to his nose.

"Are all arrangements ready?"

"Report, Elder, the seven great demons have arrived. Their routes and how many to kill, how many to spare—all have been clearly instructed, exactly as you commanded."

The Qingguang Cave disciples concealed their contempt, forcing respectful bows.

"It's time to begin."

Master Yun Miao True Person lowered his handkerchief, surveyed the surroundings again, and a flicker of excitement appeared on his face.

In no time, all that lay before his eyes would become his Dao field.

That worm demon disciple had exhausted every trick, schemed with all his malice, and brought upon himself death—yet all he'd managed was temporary control of Kaiyuan Prefecture.

But he, Master Yun Miao, senior disciple of Lingxu Cave, needed no struggle; with just a little effort, he could seize a Dao field far superior to the other's.

Who truly is the future of the Lingxu lineage? In a few more days, his blind old master will see clearly.

Moreover, since Sister Youyao has chosen to withdraw, wouldn't it be natural for him to take her place?

Thinking of this, Master Yun Miao True Person instinctively looked upward, his breath quickening… He never imagined he, Master Yun Miao, would one day have the qualification to contend for the Immortal Emperor's throne!

If he truly ascended to the throne, even his master would have to bow respectfully and address him as Sovereign of Heaven and Earth.

Merely imagining this scene made Master Yun Miao tremble slightly; he waved his sleeve: "Hurry and carry it out!"

He could hardly wait to wash away his injustice and prove to the many fellow disciples of Beizhou just how foresighted he truly was.

"Yes, Elder!"

The Qingguang Cave disciples swiftly bowed and withdrew, dispersing in all directions.

Given the vastness of these four prefectures, seizing the imperial qi all at once—even with the full manpower of their lineage—would still be beyond their strength.

Thus, even as they made tight arrangements, unfamiliar figures quietly flooded in from countless unremarkable places.

At the border of Zhenning Fucheng.

With the Immortals' aid, it had, like Tashan months earlier, faintly regained the scent of human life.

The people wore new clothes, gathered before the well, drinking deeply.

A man in hemp robes walked in slowly, taking neither food nor water; he glanced lightly at the crude huts around him, a hint of mockery curling his lips.

The man strolled slowly to the base of a large tree and leaned against it.

An elder noticed his oddness, hesitated a moment, then broke off half his bun and offered it: "Hungry? Take some."

In old Zhenning Fucheng, this would have been unthinkable.

"Things are getting better."

The elder grinned, revealing a mouth of broken yellow teeth.

The man lifted his gaze, did not reach for the bun, and said calmly: "What if this good life doesn't last?"

The elder froze, then his face twitched, fury flooding over it instantly; he snatched back the half-bun, refused to eat it, and glared fiercely at the man before him.

To speak such an ill-omened word was no different than cursing in someone's funeral hall.

Those gathered by the well fell silent and closed in, fists clenched, eyes cold and fixed on the man beneath the tree, until the area was completely blocked off.

How could the good life granted by Youyao Taixu Zhenjun vanish so easily!

"Get out!"

No one knew who let out a low growl, and the people nearby echoed it.

A group of beings, skeletal and emaciated like the living dead, advanced step by step toward the man.

"Tch."

The man leaned back at his ease, and only when someone raised a fist did he rise unhurriedly to his feet.

Immortal light swept past, and the hemp clothing on his body transformed in the blink of an eye into a plain disciple robe of the Lingxu Grotto.

"I don't mean to curse you."

He waved his sleeve, reverently placed a statue of a figure treading on black clouds beneath the tree, and lightly carved into the trunk with his fingertip: "Can you read?"

The many refugees had already been stunned by this change, all standing rooted to the spot with blank faces.

"Memorize this honored name in your minds. If a calamity descends, recite this true name, and perhaps it can preserve your lives."

The Lingxu Grotto disciple strolled unhurriedly out of the crowd, heading toward the outside of Zhenning Prefecture.

The refugees stared blankly at the tree trunk: "Taixu... Zhenjun."

Before they could react, an irate voice had already sounded from behind them.

"How dare you! You pack of wretches, and you dare set foot in my Martial Aunt Youyao's sacred ground!"

A disciple of Master Qingguang had noticed the anomaly here, hurriedly descended from the horizon, and upon seeing exactly what had happened, his face flushed red: "What are you all still staring at? Want to die? All of you, disperse!"

Having said that, he raised his hand and sent a beam of clear light sweeping toward the statue beneath the great tree, intending to blast it into dust on the spot.

Yet the moment that clear light had swept halfway, it twisted and scattered apart.

Seeing this, the Qingguang Grotto disciple nearly laughed in spite of his fury. He hadn't even come looking for trouble with this fellow, yet this Lingxu Grotto disciple was actually getting uppity now.

Just look at the gap between the two lineages. When out and about, when had the Lingxu Grotto ever not taken the initiative to steer clear of the Qingguang Grotto? Today, this was a revolt against the heavens.

In an instant, clear light sprang forth between all ten of his fingers. Just as he was about to hurl it out again, both palms abruptly froze in midair.

A flying sword had appeared at some unknown moment, laid horizontally across his neck.

"Go on, try touching my family's Zhenjun's statue."

The Lingxu Grotto disciple held the flying sword, lightly tapped the other's cheek twice with the blade, gave a cold laugh, and for the first time ever, acted tough.

In the past, even when his cultivation was higher than the other's, he truly wouldn't have dared to provoke them. But ever since he personally witnessed Martial Uncle Taixu on Tashan of the heavens, casually beheading five Bodhisattvas, things had long since changed.

"You..."

The Qingguang Grotto disciple felt the tribulation force contained within that sword edge, his eyes full of furious shock, yet not daring to make the slightest move.

Only now did he finally come to understand the reality that Martial Aunt Youyao's standing in Beizhou had long since changed.

Even that timid and obsequious Lingxu Grotto now dared to come to their own sacred ground and run wild!

What this disciple did not know was that the scene before him was no isolated case. Similar situations were happening one after another across this vast territory of the four prefectures.

He wanted to notify Senior Master Yun Miao that something had gone wrong, but beneath that cold blade, he could only reluctantly put away his jade slip.

Not long after.

A howl of a demon, coming from an extreme distance, spread mightily outward, yet still clearly audible.

Roar!

The refugees who had already been stupefied were suddenly jolted awake by the fear engraved into their very bones, instinctively wanting to scatter in all directions.

Just then, those same casually spoken words drifted into their ears once more.

"Don't forget what I told you earlier."

The Lingxu Grotto disciple sheathed his long sword, turned to look at the statue beneath the tree, then bowed reverently.

The many refugees only paused for an instant. They, who had personally witnessed countless demon calamities, how could they entrust their lives to a lifeless statue amid this earth-shaking upheaval?

The demon's howl grew increasingly deafening, nearly taking form as a tangible gale.

They screamed in terror and ran wildly once more.

At the same moment, a vast shadow suddenly blanketed the earth, as if the sun and moon had lost their light, plunging into an eternal night.

Someone looked up in terror, only to find it was not a great demon attacking.

Like ink dropped into clear water, it spread at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into surging black clouds that filled the edge of their vision.

The black clouds covered the sky, yet did not seem demonic or evil. Instead, they gave one a sense of vast, boundless awe.

With mortal eyesight, one could only see this heavy canopy of heaven, unable to perceive what lay within.

But the great demon that had clearly already arrived in Zhenning Prefecture was startled by this change. Even though beneath its feet lay the flesh and blood of living beings, it did not dare to touch a single one.

It merely stood dumbly in place, not daring to leave, nor daring to advance another inch.

Those disciples of the Sanxian Sect who had been keeping watch over Youyao's sacred ground, faced with this sudden scene, all exchanged glances with one another.

"This is..."

In truth, no words were needed. They had all seen, at the very center of the black clouds, the white-robed figure standing with arms at his sides.

The handsome youth stood amid this vastness, his expression calm as he gazed down below, taking in the entire territory of the four prefectures. The shadows cast by the dense, rolling clouds resembled a colossal claw, slowly opening, gently clutching the earth into its palm.

He clearly had done nothing, yet he gave these disciples in distant places an intense feeling of suffocation.

It was the confidence of one who held everything in his grasp.

"Martial Brother Taixu, he's planning to counterattack!"

Finally someone came to their senses, but they only felt astonishment, sensing nothing amiss. Instead, they felt that only with such a scene would things be normal.

After all, Martial Sister Youyao had done the deed first, making a move against Kaiyuan Prefecture. Since the contest had ended in failure, how could there be no price to pay?

It was just unexpected that Martial Brother Taixu's retaliation would come so swiftly, and so thoroughly. Seizing the moment when Martial Sister Youyao was extracting imperial qi, he intended to strike at four entire great prefectures in one go!

Looking across all of Beizhou, there had never been a contest over sacred grounds involving such a vast scope.

Compared to the excitement of many fellow disciples watching the spectacle.

Within Songfeng Fucheng.

True Person Master Yun Miao also saw that black cloud. He stared fixedly at the figure within it, and the moment he understood what was about to happen, surging resentment instantly filled his eyes.

Why? Why do you harm me again and again!

The dao-field within reach, the Immortal Emperor's seat already hovering above his head, seemed to grow distant once more.

From the day Master Yun Miao descended the mountain until now, he had never fallen out with anyone face-to-face. Even when his fury toward Shen Yi reached its peak, he had never truly cursed the man to his face, let alone raised a hand against him.

But today, if he endured any longer, then this whole lifetime of cultivation would have been for nothing!

Master Yun Miao watched helplessly as the figure within the black cloud slowly vanished, streaking off toward the east. His face twisted into a savage snarl, and with a thunderous roar he shot into the air, giving chase in a straight line.

(End of chapter)