Chapter 356: The Poison of Hatred

After parting with Hua Changxi, Jing Le did not leave immediately; wanting to know her choice, he stood by the roadside, gazing in the direction of the Liang Duke Prefecture.

From the third floor of an inn less than ten meters away, two figures leaned out and waved vigorously at Jing Le: "Senior Brother Jing Le."

Jing Le looked toward the sound and saw Wen Lanzhou of the Celestial Master's Prefecture and Jie Xian of the Xiangguo Temple.

"Senior Brother Jing Le, we have brewed spiritual tea; come up and share a cup."

Jing Le did not refuse; he stepped into the inn and entered the private room where Wen Lanzhou and Jie Xian were seated. "What are you two doing here?"

Wen Lanzhou smiled and said, "When the Medical Bureau consisted only of the Qihuang Pavilion and the Lingjing Pavilion, the imperial clan and the Xia family caused quite a stir, but fortunately, it did not affect us."

"But ever since the Nine Streets Hall was established and promulgated the so-called Alchemist Assessment Regulations, it has turned the Medical Bureau upside down."

"Before, only those at the top were struggling; now, the conflict has trickled down, and the Medical Bureau is in such chaos... I'm too lazy to even speak of it. The two of us could only come out here to avoid the trouble and seek some peace."

Who would have thought their luck would be so good that they would happen upon the scene of Hua Changxi appearing and heading to settle accounts with the Liang Duke Prefecture?

Jing Le said, "...The Hall of the Alchemy Saint is indeed quite chaotic."

Within the Hall of the Alchemy Saint, there were too many factions, which was highly detrimental to the revival and growth of the Sacred Land.

If someone could step forward to suppress or end the chaos within the Hall of the Alchemy Saint, it would absolutely be a good thing for the Central Continent.

Changxi is one of the few who has currently revealed herself as bearing the great fortune of the human race; the elders of the Five Great Sacred Lands actually hold her in high regard, yet they still harbor doubts about whether she can shoulder the responsibilities of the Hall of the Alchemy Saint.

The operation of the Five Great Sacred Lands concerns the entire Central Continent; someone who relies solely on martial force to solve problems can certainly never become the master of a Sacred Land.

Regarding the affairs of the Liang Duke Prefecture, everyone knows clearly what is right and what is wrong; the imperial clan's fanning of the flames is a situation welcomed by all parties, intended precisely to weigh Changxi's capabilities.

For many people, someone who focuses only on improving their strength but neglects conduct and interpersonal relations can only be considered a brute, incapable of bearing any heavy responsibility.

Jing Le sighed; he always felt that Changxi's heart was currently in a state of confusion and uncertainty, and someone who has not figured out who they are will not actively wish to take on responsibility.

Jie Xian looked at the silent Jing Le and asked, "Did Senior Brother Jing Le just go to dissuade Hua Changxi?"

Jing Le shook his head: "When a person truly wants to do something, outsiders cannot dissuade them. I merely went to remind Changxi to ask her own heart more questions."

The Xiangguo Temple and the Dixiu Temple maintained close ties, so Jie Xian understood Jing Le fairly well and could roughly guess his purpose in seeking out Hua Changxi: "Hua Changxi's strength is indeed formidable, however... her cultivation is still very lacking."

Hearing this, both Jing Le and Wen Lanzhou looked over.

Jie Xian looked at the two of them: "Among the Three Poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance, leaving the other two aside for now, the poison of hatred within Hua Changxi is not light. A person who cannot control their anger is like a time bomb, liable to explode at any moment."

Jing Le frowned: "Junior Brother, you are exaggerating somewhat."

Jie Xian did not refute him, but smiled and said, "I am only speaking of some signs I have observed; many of Hua Changxi's statements display strong aggressiveness when encountering those with differing stances or views."

Hearing this, Jing Le fell silent.

Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Wen Lanzhou hurriedly broke the silence: "Senior Brother Jing Le, why did you not accompany Hua Changxi to the Liang Duke Prefecture?"

Jing Le replied, "Some paths must be walked alone; if I had followed, whatever final decision Changxi made might have been influenced or interfered with by me."

"Only by facing it alone, with her actions entirely chosen by herself, can she see her own heart clearly."

Jing Le paused, then turned his gaze toward another direction outside the inn: "When did the Demon-Suppressing Army arrive?"

Jie Xian answered, "Just one step ahead of you; the leader is the First Imperial Prince, Chu Junling."

Wen Lanzhou smiled and said, "Both the Left and Right Generals of the Demon-Suppressing Army are members of the imperial clan; whether it is Chu Junling or Chu Junyi who comes makes little difference."

Jie Xian shook his head, showing disagreement: "There are still some differences between Chu Junyi and Chu Junling; Chu Junling weighs matters more in terms of imperial interests, whereas Chu Junyi is wholeheartedly devoted to the Central Sacred Land."

"He is, after all, a Qilin child; his vision is not limited merely to the scope of the imperial clan, but encompasses the entire Central Continent."

Saying this, Jie Xian looked at Jing Le: "After the Xuanyuan Prefecture manifested, the Minister of the Heaven Department recalled Chu Junyi from the Nine Netherworlds and sent him directly into the Xuanyuan Prefecture. Recently, I hear there has been considerable activity within the Xuanyuan Prefecture; does Senior Brother Jing Le know the inside story?"

Jing Le shook his head; the Xuanyuan Prefecture of today was not a place just anyone could enter or exit.

Centered on the Xuanyuan Prefecture, the area within a hundred li radius had been taken over by the Demon-Suppressing Army, where the construction of Xuanyuan City was currently in full swing.

Meanwhile, Hua Changxi had already been standing outside the Liang Duke Prefecture for a quarter of an hour.

Inside the Liang Duke Prefecture, the Young Master Yin was extremely dissatisfied, feeling this was a barefaced provocation by Hua Changxi against the Duke Prefecture; he did not believe that the entire Liang Duke Prefecture could not handle a single Hua Changxi.

"Someone, come with this Young Master..."

The Liang Duke looked coldly at Young Master Yin and asked in a chilly voice, "What do you intend to do?"

Young Master Yin, agitated, exclaimed, "Hua Changxi has come knocking at our doors; if we show no reaction at all, won't we become nothing but cowardly turtles?"

The Liang Duke turned to Yin Yunzhou: "What is your assessment of Hua Changxi's strength?"

Yin Yunzhou's face showed bitterness; knowing his words might influence the decisions of the Duke and the Young Master, he dared not conceal anything: "Replying to the Duke, Hua Changxi's strength is unfathomable."

"I detected nothing before she grabbed me right before her eyes. A single glance from her made my head feel as though it were splitting apart."

"To say she is merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, I absolutely do not believe it."

After hearing this, the Liang Duke recalled the sword strike Hua Changxi had unleashed, one that 'seemed ready to burn his flesh, blood, and soul to ashes simultaneously'; chilling with fear, he closed his eyes, and only after a long while did he speak.

"There is an agreement between the imperial clan and the Five Great Sacred Lands that cultivators must not engage in combat within the capital; Hua Changxi was present when this rule was established."

"Pass down the order: unless Hua Changxi attacks into the Duke Prefecture, no one is permitted to act rashly."

Young Master Yin, thinking that his promotion depended on the imperial clan's support, could not help but speak up: "Father, Old Prince Tianxun has sent a message..."

The Liang Duke's cold, sharp gaze shot over like flying knives, directly frightening Young Master Yin into silence.

"Do you know the reason why your father has become like this?"

"Hmph, the Duke of Ying is smarter than your father; when Chu Tianxun issued the order to pursue Hua Changxi, he knew to play the fool and retreat to avoid it."

"As for your father, I became the vanguard, the cannon fodder."

The Liang Duke's breath surged violently; it took him a good while before his breathing steadied again: "Hua Changxi bears great fortune; confronting such a person will entangle one in massive karmic consequences."

"The imperial clan, unwilling to invite trouble upon themselves, pushed the Liang Duke Prefecture forward."

The Liang Duke looked at his son, his expression cold and stern: "Remember this, son: the Yin family may serve as a blade for the imperial clan, but we shall not serve as their sacrificial offering."

Young Master Yin showed hesitation: "...But, surely we must provide some explanation?"

The Liang Duke snorted coldly: "Explanation my foot; even if we do nothing at all, the imperial clan dare not say anything, unless they wish to chill the hearts of their other followers."

Young Master Yin immediately fell silent.

Silence fell within the Liang Duke Prefecture, yet Hua Changxi outside the gates made her move.

Meeting violence with violence was indeed no solution; unless she slaughtered everyone in the Liang Duke Prefecture to the last man, the Liang Duke Prefecture and the Hua family would truly be locked in a fight to the death.

She did not have so much time to waste on such rotten matters!

Ultimately, her being hunted, the demand for the Xuanhuang Fruit, and the Hua family being trapped in the Dingyuan Bo Fu all stemmed from the Liang Duke.

Hua Changxi suddenly turned back, gazing at the restaurant where Jingliao and the others were located; the next moment, her spiritual voice spread in all directions.

"General Chu Junling, I have come this time solely to deliver an invitation to the Liang Duke; there is no need for you and your subordinates to glare so menacingly."

Without waiting for Chu Junling inside the restaurant to react, Hua Changxi flipped her wrist, instantly condensing a ball of fire that shot with a 'whoosh' into the Liang Duke Prefecture.

The fire soared above the Liang Duke Prefecture; with a thunderous boom, it exploded like fireworks, instantly shattering the fifth-grade defensive array of the Liang Duke Prefecture.

Sparks rained down, coalescing into characters: "Awaiting your honorable presence on Danyuan Peak in three days."

The 'invitation' delivered, Hua Changxi turned and left.

Inside the restaurant, Chu Junling was not particularly surprised that Hua Changxi had detected him; he merely watched her retreating figure and shook his head in disappointment.

Using spiritual energy to deliver an 'invitation,' while it had destroyed the Liang Duke Prefecture's defensive array, could not truly be counted as a 'genuine' clash; dispatching the Demon-Suppressing Army to pursue accountability would seem somewhat forced.

Alas, Hua Changxi was more restrained than he had imagined, and the Liang Duke was more cowardly than he had imagined.

Chu Junling glanced at the private room where Jingliao and the other two were situated, his brows knitting slightly; Hua Changxi's ties with the other Sacred Lands were far deeper than the Imperial Court had assumed!

Inside the Liang Duke Prefecture, the Liang Duke stared at the fiery characters in the sky, his hands clenching tightly into fists.

At first glance, these characters seemed like Hua Changxi inviting him to Danyuan Peak to resolve matters, but in reality, Hua Changxi had shattered the Liang Duke Prefecture's defensive array with a mere wisp of flame; this was clearly intimidation, coercion.

Hua Changxi did not intend to resolve matters; she was waiting for him to go to Danyuan Peak and publicly bow his head in apology!

Leaving the Liang Duke Prefecture, Hua Changxi did not go to the Dingyuan Bo Fu but headed straight for the Heaven Division.

Previously, due to the matter of the Danyuan Secret Realm, the Hua family had suffered collateral damage because of her; it was only when the Head of the Heaven Division intervened that the Hua family's predicament was resolved.

This time, it was the Dingyuan Bo Fu that had taken the Hua family in to stay.

But what about next time?

Hua Changxi knew she easily offended people; she did not wish to see her family suffer misfortune because of her, so she must thoroughly resolve this issue of her family being easily implicated by her actions.

Regarding how to arrange for her family, the first person who came to her mind was Wei Zhenjie.

The Central Sacred Land held a pivotal status on the Central Continent; if the Hua family became disciples of the Central Sacred Land, they would naturally receive its protection.

Unfortunately, Wei Zhenjie was not at the Heaven Division, and his return date was uncertain.

Hua Changxi pondered outside the Heaven Division for a moment, then looked south and swiftly departed Jingcheng.

"Ninth Sister!"

Upon learning from Tong Yao that Hua Changxi had appeared, Hua Liulang hurriedly rushed back to Jingcheng.

Just as he, Tong Yao, and Yan Zhenzhen arrived at the previous Nanchengmen, they saw a red figure streak away from their sight like a meteor.

Hua Liulang recognized it as Hua Changxi and asked anxiously, "Why has Ninth Sister left again? Where is she going?"

Tong Yao looked in the direction Hua Changxi had flown: "The direction Changxi is heading seems to be... the Xuan Yuan Fu."