Chapter 185: Madman, a Madman to the Extreme (6k)

Soon after, the remaining two sects arrived in haste, led by their respective sect masters and elders.

Upon seeing the exit, countless people cheered and rushed forward, but the two sect masters immediately shouted orders.

"Get in line!" The disciples instantly snapped to attention and hurried to form ranks behind them.

The Soul Transformation cultivators from each sect arrived one by one, offering heartfelt thanks to Cao Zhengyang.

But due to the excessive concentration of people in this place, the four-colored killing seals descended in unison, causing the protective light shield formed by the crowd to rapidly dim.

Fortunately, the arrival of Soul Transformation cultivators from both sects provided enough support to barely maintain it.

"Hurry up!" Cao Zhengyang urged.

Shhh!

At that moment, Xuanjizi arrived in a flash with the Tianji Men disciples, immediately spotting the tear in the barrier now being desperately held open by the crowd; his previously panicked face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy.

"Heaven aids me!" He burst into loud laughter, then sharply turned and bellowed to the Tianji Men disciples behind him: "Quick, follow me out!"

Jin Leizong and Qingyu Immortal Sect immediately sneered and swiftly blocked them with their forces.

In an instant, the air thickened with the tension of drawn swords and raised spears.

Lei Wujie's body was wreathed in violent lightning; he sneered, a mocking curve twisting his lips as he shouted: "Oh? If it isn't Xuanjizi—and a few senior elders of Tianji Men. Didn't Cangyan Dao Palace notify you when they withdrew?"

Xianyou Xianzi, clad in green robes now drenched in blood, fluttered violently in the wind, her entire aura radiating intense killing intent.

Her gaze was frost-cold as she spoke clearly: "You're the ones who practice divination—did you not foresee this fate awaiting you?"

Faced with such direct mockery, Xuanjizi and his companions turned pale and flushed, their expressions grim and miserable.

Yet they had no reply.

Just as he opened his mouth to argue, Xianyou Xianzi cut in, each word a blade: "Don't pretend ignorance—every single array in Canglan Mountain was set by you, including the core. So Tianji Men long planned to join forces with Cangyan Dao Palace and wipe out all three sects."

Her almond eyes blazed with fury and accusation.

"But I suppose, despite all your calculations, you never imagined you'd become a disposable pawn."

Xuanjizi clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes bloodshot; just as he was about to speak, a white-haired Supreme Elder from Tianji Men stepped forward.

He let out a heavy sigh, his voice aged and weary, thick with endless regret and helplessness: "We misjudged our ally. If we survive and escape, we are willing to submit to your command and join you against Cangyan Dao Palace."

The two sect leaders laughed bitterly, their laughter filled with grief and contempt.

Because of that sudden killing seal, countless disciples from our two sects did not die fighting beasts—they were slaughtered by your hands.

And how many elders sacrificed themselves in explosions just to break through?

Now, the blood feud between us is deep as the sea.

Do you really think we'll believe you?

Moreover, this exit—how great a price did Taiqingmen pay to barely open it? They have no authority over it.

Inside the shield, Cao Zhengyang looked at Xuanjizi, his voice carrying an invisible pressure as he spoke slowly.

"Brother Xuanji, I'd like to know why Cangyan Dao Palace chose you as their ally—or rather, what value do you possess that made them want to court you?"

In response to Cao Zhengyang's question, every senior member of Tianji Men, including Xuanjizi, remained silent.

Xuanjizi bit his lips tightly, his gaze flickering uncertainly; the other elders hung their heads in despair.

The atmosphere grew tense once more.

After a few breaths, Xuanjizi suddenly turned, staring at his own disciples being obliterated by crimson lightning behind him, then fixed his eyes on the exit.

A flicker of resolve passed through his eyes as he spoke: "Will you step aside—or not?"

His voice was icy, leaving no room for negotiation.

Seeing this, everyone instantly understood his choice.

Cao Zhengyang sneered: "What a loyal dog."

"Kill!" Lei Wujie could no longer contain his rage; he roared and charged forward.

The lightning swirling around him grew even more violent, like an enraged thunder dragon; his thunder sword blazed with blinding light, sending streaks of dazzling lightning straight toward the Tianji Men disciples.

Xianyou Xianzi and the others followed close behind, their swords whirling, flashes of cold light dancing, their eyes brimming with unrelenting killing intent—each strike was merciless.

In an instant, the slaughter erupted again!

But Cao Zhengyang frowned, slowly lifting his gaze to the sky.

Unnoticed, a colossal human face had appeared overhead—no one else but Sikong Yan.

His eyes were cold and deep, calmly gazing down at the battlefield and at Zhou Qing and the others desperately preventing the barrier's repair.

The next moment, the face slowly smiled—a chilling, unnatural expression.

"How interesting. It seems the five sects' fates are not yet sealed," his voice echoed across heaven and earth, like rolling thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache.

Upon hearing Sikong Yan's voice, all looked up, their eyes brimming with killing intent.

Xuanjizi's face turned ashen, his eyes bulging with rage—he longed to fly up and tear Sikong Yan into pieces.

"Sikong Yan, you despicable worm!" Xuanjizi dodged Lei Wujie's strike and roared to the heavens.

But instantly, several crimson lightning bolts crashed down, forcing him to dodge frantically.

Lei Wujie's lightning surged wildly; his thunder sword pointed straight at Sikong Yan, his killing intent as tangible as sharpened blades.

"Sikong Yan, stabbing us in the back—you wait till I get out, we'll settle this properly!"

Xianyou Xianzi's face was icy with wrath; she said nothing, her gaze frozen like glacial ice, locked on the giant face in the sky.

She and Cangyan Dao Palace had long been irreconcilable enemies.

Facing the crowd's curses, Sikong Yan only smiled more broadly, offering no defense.

Instead, he spoke calmly: "Ladies and gentlemen, I will open ten exits—but only for ten breaths. How many of you escape depends on your fate."

At these words, every despairing soul's eyes suddenly brightened.

Even the survivors from minor sects nearly knelt to thank him.

Sikong Yan seemed to relish the shift in their expressions; after a pause, he continued slowly:

"Canglan Mountain has become far too bloody. I simply cannot bear to look. Besides, so many corpses piled together will stink to high heaven—might even bring plague. Just thinking of it is worrying."

Then his tone shifted; his smile turned suddenly cold: "So, after ten breaths, I will detonate everything—including all of Canglan Mountain."

"So, after ten breaths, I will detonate everything—including all of Canglan Mountain."

Everyone's faces turned pale.

Especially Cao Zhengyang and others—they knew this man was no joke, and his moods were unpredictable.

Over the years, they had never truly understood this madman.

Right now, the situation was overwhelmingly favorable to Cangyan Dao Palace—yet he chose to end it all in such an extreme way.

It was like letting a tiger return to the mountains, and he had directly offended four sects.

Was he mentally twisted—or did he have some hidden agenda?

Then Sikong Yan's massive face turned toward Zhou Qing, who was still desperately blocking the array's repair at the exit, and said: "Zhou Qing, your exit is not among the ten. So I'll close it first."

The next instant, Zhou Qing and the others watched in horror as the exit they had fought so hard to keep open began closing at an unprecedented speed.

No matter how much spiritual energy they poured in, it was useless—in the blink of an eye, the tear sealed shut.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing had no choice but to halt abruptly, his face dark with dismay.

At this moment, he felt Sikong Yan was unfathomably deep—even terrifyingly so.

That is to say, the moment this exit was opened, as the controller of the four-colored seals, he should have sensed it immediately.

Closing it would have been effortless.

Yet he did not. He let Taiqingmen and the others escape.

Right now, hundreds of thousands of disciples from the four sects—including their Sect Masters and Supreme Elders—were meat on the chopping block.

One thought from him, and everything would end.

No one would share the Jiuyou Lotus Seed with him, nor threaten his position.

Yet he deliberately opened ten exits, giving everyone a chance—such behavior was utterly incomprehensible.

What exactly did he want?

As the escaping disciples murmured anxiously, ten massive fissures indeed appeared on the crimson barrier.

In an instant, countless people surged forward in a desperate scramble to escape; chaos erupted.

Screams and cries rose in waves as everyone fought desperately to seize this fleeting chance at life.

Accompanying it was a mocking countdown, striking heavily upon their hearts.

"Ten… nine… eight…"

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu's faces changed; they flew off simultaneously, shouting desperately toward the barrier: "Master—!"

The next instant, Mo Xingjian and the others burst out.

Cao Zhengyang, right behind them, shouted loudly: "All disciples, retreat—!"

Mo Xingjian grabbed Zhou Qing, Yan Xiaohu, and the others, then spun and sprinted away from the barrier.

Around them, the crowd surged like a tidal wave, all fleeing madly toward the barrier's exterior.

"Seven… six… five…" The countdown continued; each number was a death knell, urging everyone to run faster.

When Zhou Qing and the others reached safety and turned back, countless people poured out from different exits like locusts.

Watching this, Zhou Qing felt only a deep sorrow spreading through him.

"Four… three… two…" The countdown entered its final moments; those outside the barrier ran desperately, while those still trapped inside wore expressions of utter despair.

"One!"

As the final countdown ended, the ten fissures vanished instantly; many who had just reached halfway were cut cleanly in two.

Their faces, still frozen in the joy of imminent escape, stiffened—then tumbled down.

A deathly silence followed—then a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted from within the barrier, like a raging tidal wave, sweeping outward in all directions.

Everyone felt a powerful force surge toward them, flinging them violently away.

When they scrambled to their feet in terror, they saw that Canglan Mountain, once shrouded by the 【Seal Demon Strangling Array】, had been violently crushed and collapsed as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, then exploded outward.

Countless people who hadn't escaped in time were reduced to dust by the annihilating storm.

In just a few breaths, Canglan Mountain vanished completely.

Where the towering, continuous mountain range had stood, only a bottomless abyss remained.

Within the abyss, darkness reigned, thick with the scent of death and wild spiritual energy currents.

Those who barely escaped stood frozen in shock, their eyes filled with terror.

Zhou Qing and the others stared silently, speechless.

Cao Zhengyang and the others had faces as dark as storm clouds.

Never mind the million demonic beasts, the hundreds of thousands of disciples, the countless remaining magic treasures and storage pouches—just the corpses of the dozen or so Nascent Soul realm–perfect demonic kings were treasures beyond price.

But this guy Sikong Yan destroyed it all without a moment's hesitation.

"Madman. A total madman!" After a long silence, Cao Zhengyang couldn't help but curse.

Fortunately, the Taiqingmen disciples had stayed clustered together, and Zhou Qing had already guided out some, plus those who spoke up later were close by—so at least half of them escaped.

But the Jin Leizong and Qingyu Immortal Sect were scattered too badly; many probably never even found the ten exits, and were left behind forever.

Soon, muffled sobs broke out in the oppressive silence.

Those who lost family, friends, and fellow disciples could no longer hold back their grief; tears streamed down their faces.

"Everyone, meet at the usual place, as we agreed!" Sikong Yan's voice echoed across the sky.

Duomu Shu and the others snorted, exchanged glances with the other three sects, and departed.

"Mo Dizi, watch over things—I'll be right back!" Cao Zhengyang, face flushed with rage, chased after him.

Yan Xiaohu stared blankly at the bottomless abyss, his mind empty, muttering softly: "Will he even give those things to the Supreme Elders?"

Zhou Qing frowned, eyes locked on the retreating figures, then murmured: "Yes."

"Why?" Lu Yaoyao asked.

Zhou Qing's face grew grave, a flash of cold light in his eyes as he said slowly: "Because he's a madman beyond reason."

Both of them shivered at once.

With Mo Xingjian and the other peak masters working together, all Taiqingmen disciples finally gathered.

After surviving the ordeal, they were ragged and bloodstained, yet when they stood together, they radiated an undeniable aura.

As far as the eye could see, the ground was packed with Taiqingmen disciples.

In contrast, Jin Leizong, Qingyu Immortal Sect, and Tianji Men looked utterly devastated.

In fact, the combined remnants of all three sects barely matched Taiqingmen's strength.

The survivors from other minor sects were pitifully few.

They stood scattered and alone, their eyes filled with panic and helplessness.

The battle at Canglan Mountain had slashed the Eastern Region's combat strength by more than half.

Eighteen demonic kings, millions of demonic beasts, hundreds of minor sects, five great sects—they had together formed the unchanging balance of the Eastern Region of Lingyun Prefecture.

But now, what remained?

"This was a catastrophe deliberately engineered!" Mo Xingjian watched the scene, his heart weighed down with unbearable sorrow.

Many peak masters nodded silently.

Yes. After this battle, the once vibrant, sect-filled Eastern Region now resembled a world-devouring storm—ravaged, its strong ones fallen.

Yet at the same time, Taiqingmen and Cangyan Dao Palace would, by virtue of this unexpected survival advantage, undeniably become the two dominant powers of the Eastern Region.

What more could be said? What had to happen, had happened. The outcome was sealed. Everyone silently began returning to their own sects.

On the way back, Duomu Shu and the other Supreme Elders returned, their faces radiant with joy.

Cao Zhengyang also called Zhou Qing over.

Duomu Shu took out a box with eager anticipation; when opened, two jet-black lotus seeds lay sealed inside.

The Nine You Lotus Seeds.

After his initial astonishment, Zhou Qing felt disbelief—and even more confusion.

Duomu Shu said: "The Nine You Lotus Seeds produced twenty seeds total. As agreed, Cangyan Dao Palace takes half, Tianji Men two-tenths, and we three split the remaining three-tenths."

Cao Zhengyang added: "Exactly twenty. The seed holes can't be faked."

Zhou Qing still didn't understand.

"What is he trying to do?" Zhou Qing asked.

Cao Zhengyang shook his head. "When dividing the seeds, he only said one thing."

"What?" Zhou Qing asked.

Cao Zhengyang replied: "He said, 'Alone, joy is less than shared joy.'"

Duomu Shu said gravely: "Forget that for now. Cangyan Dao Palace got ten seeds. Even with only a twenty percent chance, their odds of producing a Severing Spirit cultivator are very high."

She paused slightly, her gaze falling on Zhou Qing, her expression softening. "Our Taiqingmen has eight Nascent Soul realm–perfect cultivators, openly and secretly. The Sect Master said he wants to reserve one for you—after all, we owe this to you…"

Zhou Qing's face flashed with shock; he frantically waved his hands.

"This is absolutely out of the question!" Zhou Qing exclaimed urgently.

What time is this? Such a rare treasure must be used where it matters most—he was still ten thousand miles from the Nascent Soul realm.

Who knew what that madman Sikong Yan might do next if he got another wild idea?

Right now, the most important thing is to strengthen the sect's top-tier combat strength to face the coming crises.

After Zhou Qing refused repeatedly, Duomu Shu and the others exchanged glances, nodded slightly, and decided to wait until they returned to the sect to carefully decide who should receive each seed.

But for safety's sake, as the Supreme Elders sealed the box, he still verified it.

【Nine You Lotus Seed: Two priceless supreme elixirs. When absorbed, they use their deathly power to suppress obsession spirits, increasing the chance of reaching the Severing Spirit realm.】

Seeing no hidden traps, Zhou Qing finally relaxed.

"By the way, the Sect War is over!" Cao Zhengyang delivered another piece of news.

Zhou Qing wasn't surprised.

Look at how few remained from the five sects—even the minor sects who'd come as spectators were nearly gone.

If they kept fighting, the other three regions of Lingyun Prefecture would surely take advantage and strike.

"Try not to let too many know about the Nine You Lotus Seeds. Otherwise, disaster may come upon us!" Cao Zhengyang lowered his voice, his expression grave.

Zhou Qing nodded in understanding.

Not to mention other major sects nearby—they wouldn't want any Eastern Region sect to rise through the Nine You Lotus Seeds and shatter the existing power balance.

When Zhou Qing and the others returned to Taiqingmen in a large group, they saw a familiar figure setting up a tent below the mountain.

At such a critical time, Elder Wu Zhu dared not let anyone in casually—even if they were an acquaintance.

Seeing it was the Fourth Imperial Prince Bai Yu, Mo Xingjian shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

But with the sect just emerging from such a brutal battle, he had no energy to deal with matters of love.

He turned to Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu: "You two handle it."

Then he turned and stepped through the mountain gate, his figure vanishing from sight.

The two had no choice but to go down.

Seeing his brother-in-law and younger brother-in-law, Bai Yu grew excited.

Yan Xiaohu grinned slyly. "Brother-in-law, I remember you said last time you left in a hurry that you'd prepare a gift for my Second Senior Sister. Looks like it's in your storage pouch now, right?"

Bai Yu, with his caterpillar-like eyebrows, looked embarrassed but nodded. "Yes. I've prepared it. She's wanted it for a long time."

As he spoke, his eyes filled with tenderness and anticipation, as if he'd already seen Luo Lingling's joy upon receiving the gift.

Zhou Qing spoke up: "Why not go inside? I suspect Second Senior Sister will emerge from her seclusion soon."

But Bai Yu shook his head, his gaze passing over them to the weary disciples returning, arms linked, his expression turning solemn.

He said slowly: "I've heard about your battle. Now isn't the time—I can't disturb you."

"Don't worry. After this battle, you all need rest. Wait until she emerges. I'll be fine here."

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu exchanged glances.

A man chasing a woman really is like climbing a mountain.

A prince, before love, was truly humble.

Despite their warm invitations, Bai Yu remained firm in his refusal.

There was nothing to be done—he had to stay below the mountain.

Upon entering the mountain gate, they saw Elder Jiang Pu, who guarded the Soul Tower, standing aside, his face filled with grief.

Taiqingmen had suffered heavy losses; watching one soul lamp after another extinguish, he must be heartbroken.

Also present was Acting Sect Master Gao Xian, Senior Uncle.

During this time, with him in charge, the sect's few remaining forces had operated smoothly.

Watching each disciple return safely, his face was heavy, silent—but when he saw Zhou Qing, he gave a rare nod.

Zhou Qing bowed respectfully from afar.

……

(End of Chapter)