Chapter 665: After a Hundred Years (Volume End)

Jieshi Mountain.

A mass of black Qi suddenly swirled up.

"Haha, one hundred and eighty years, I have finally mastered the 'Black Cloud Scripture'." The black Qi gradually dissipated, revealing a middle-aged man with temples turned gray.

He was called Tao Shiqing, and because of his cultivation technique, he was known in the past as the "Black Cloud Rogue". He was over two hundred years old and was a rogue cultivator. Due to an accident where he fell off a cliff, not only did he not die, but he unexpectedly obtained a scroll of the 'Black Cloud Scripture', thereby stepping into the cultivation world; he was once a prominent figure in the Central Plains rogue cultivator circle.

He was a cautious person. After suffering a setback in a duel one hundred and eighty years ago, he learned from his mistakes and decided not to leave seclusion until he had mastered the "Black Cloud Scripture".

In the blink of an eye, one hundred and eighty years had passed.

Now, his "Black Cloud Scripture" had finally reached great success.

"From this day forward, in this cultivation world, I, Tao Shiqing, shall be invincible under heaven and dominate the Central Plains." Tao Shiqing laughed heartily, his spirit soaring. He was only a little over two hundred years old in total, yet he had spent nearly two hundred years on the path of cultivation, which could be called diligent. He himself was gifted with extraordinary talent, and the "Black Cloud Scripture" was also a top-tier cultivation method in the world.

Therefore, he estimated his own strength to be close to that of the high monks of the 'Pu' generation of Tianyin Temple and the Peak Masters of the seven peaks of Qingyun Sect; he was full of vigor and extremely proud.

Waving his sleeves, he summoned a black cloud and rode the cloud Qi away.

"Two hundred years have passed; time truly flies. I just wonder if the enemies and friends of the past have turned into a handful of yellow soil."

Boom!

Just as Tao Shiqing was feeling sentimental, a muffled, thunder-like explosion rang out.

Tao Shiqing suddenly snapped back to his senses. Looking into the distance, he saw two masses of light fighting together ahead, erupting from time to time with astonishing collision sounds, like bursts of thunder.

"So strong."

Tao Shiqing was suddenly startled. Although he had been in seclusion for over two hundred years, his discernment remained.

Both people fighting were top-tier cultivators. Even with his "Black Cloud Scripture" now at great success, he feared that if he were to fight them, they would be evenly matched.

However, what puzzled him slightly was that the fighting style of these two people seemed different from the cultivation sects of the Central Plains.

Experts in the cultivation world generally manipulated magic treasures, or formed seals, or pinched incantations; they did not need to jump around like people in the martial arts world. But as these two fought, not only did their magic treasures slam into each other, but their fists and feet were also rapidly clashing and colliding. Every instant, it seemed there were hundreds of exchanges, and the Qi energy whistled out like a landslide or a tidal wave; in terms of power, it was not inferior to magic treasures.

Before stepping into the cultivation world, Tao Shiqing had also spent some time drifting in the martial arts world, and he could vaguely distinguish that the fist and foot techniques of the two were similar to martial arts, but the power was absolutely not to be mentioned in the same breath.

"Hey, you two, what are you doing? Fighting and brawling are strictly prohibited outside the 'Dao Field'."

Just then, another black light came from afar. In the black light was a youth whose appearance still looked immature, his expression serious.

"This little brat, does he not want to live anymore?"

Tao Shiqing frowned slightly. He could clearly see that the youth did not look old, and was not a cultivation expert like him who had achieved success and possessed techniques to maintain his youth; he was at most twenty years old.

To those two experts, he feared that a wave of a hand could send him to the ground, severely injured.

However, what surprised Tao Shiqing was that the two powerful cultivators showed expressions of panic upon seeing the youth.

The two looked at each other, simultaneously withdrew their moves, and then cupped their hands toward the youth with sheepish smiles: "Greetings, Enforcement Envoy."

"Hmph, at least you aren't stupid enough to try and run. I am equipped with a Xuangguang Mirror; all your previous actions have been recorded and transmitted to the Enforcement Hall." The youth snorted coldly: "If you want to fight, go to the 'Dao Field'. If you really don't want your lives, I can apply for you to go to the Northern Europe Battlefield to risk your lives against that group of 'Holy Knights'."

"The Enforcement Envoy is joking. The Holy Knights defy the will of heaven, and their destruction is but a snap of the fingers away; the two of us won't go." The two cultivators said hurriedly.

The Enforcement Envoy youth suddenly sniffed, a hint of anger appearing between his brows: "Very well, not only fighting in a public place, but also drinking alcohol and operating a magic treasure at high altitude. The peaks around this Jieshi Mountain are towering and the rocks are jagged; not long ago, a cultivator was drinking and crashed into a cliff, bleeding from the head. If he hadn't been saved by an old man picking herbs on the mountain, he would have died without anyone knowing."

The two cultivators smiled sheepishly.

"Take out your Magic Treasure Certificates."

The two cultivators took out a jade tablet and placed it in front of the Enforcement Envoy.

The Enforcement Envoy scanned the jade tablets, took out paper and pen, wrote something on them, then stamped them with an official seal, and handed them to the two respectively: "Go to the Enforcement Hall to handle this yourselves. You have been drinking, so you can only walk or fly at low altitude; the speed must not exceed thirty."

"Understood."

The two took the tickets dejectedly, lowered their magic treasures to an extremely low level, and proceeded slowly.

"There is one more."

The Enforcement Envoy spotted the slightly dazed Tao Shiqing, steered his magic treasure to in front of Tao Shiqing, changed his previous stern expression, and smiled gently: "Hello, please show your 'Magic Treasure Certificate'."

"What, what Magic Treasure Certificate..." Tao Shiqing was confused.

If it were before his seclusion, he wouldn't have even glanced at such a young cultivator.

But having seen the other two experts act so respectfully, he naturally dared not be rude at will.

The young Enforcement Envoy frowned, a layer of coldness covering his face, thinking this was another guy playing dumb. He looked him up and down, then suddenly raised his brows: "Looking at your attire and this aura, could it be that you are a cultivator who has been in seclusion for over a hundred years?"

Tao Shiqing nodded.

The Enforcement Envoy looked enlightened and said: "No wonder. You don't have a specific identity right now and count as an unregistered person. First, follow me to the nearby Liutian City to handle the various procedures. On the way, I will also take the opportunity to tell you about the things that have happened in the cultivation world in recent years." After saying this, he steered his magic treasure and headed east.

After pondering for a moment, Tao Shiqing followed the Enforcement Envoy.

Under the Enforcement Envoy's narration, Tao Shiqing gradually learned what had happened during his years of seclusion.

A hundred years ago, a White-Clad Wonderful Monk appeared at Tianyin Temple.

He was good at poetry, capable of eloquent debate, skilled in musical temperament, and possessed profound Buddhist Dharma; he was proficient in everything and was the most prominent monk of that time.

By chance, he realized that the roots of both the righteous and evil paths originated from the Heavenly Book, and that all cultivators in the world were originally one family, so why bother with killing.

The true purpose of cultivation was for longevity and eternal vision.

Thus, he returned to secular life, left the mountain, and founded Changsheng Tower, being honored as the Jade Tower Master.

Because he was the first Tower Master and possessed great talent and bold vision, he was revered as the "Saint Master" to distinguish him from the generations of Tower Masters that followed.

Jade Saint Master swept across the six directions, stabilized the Central Plains, and the Demon Sect and righteous paths submitted.

All major cultivation forces returned to Changsheng Tower, and there was no longer any distinction between sects in the world.

Afterwards, Changsheng Tower replaced the secular dynasties, not only unifying the cultivation world but also unifying the human world.

Since then, beast demons have caused chaos, and countless cultivators have sacrificed their lives to rush to the Southern Border, resisting the beast tide outside the Central Plains.

Jade Saint Master came out of seclusion, arrived from the East Sea, killed the Beast God, and together with the many cultivators, suppressed this beast demon chaos.

To this day, one hundred and fifty-two years of Spring and Autumn have passed.

Changsheng Tower is different from any dynasty in history; rather than calling it a dynasty, it is better to call it a massive cultivation sect. Through the diligent governance and enterprising spirit of three generations of Tower Masters, the territory of Changsheng Tower is now vast, surpassing any previous era; it can be said that the world is at peace and the seas are calm and the rivers are clear.

And as these hundred-plus years have passed, the entire world, under the rule of Changsheng Tower, has also undergone earth-shaking changes.

Without needing the Enforcement Officer to say much more, along this journey, Tao Shiqing had already seen scene after scene of incredible sights.

The most significant point was the increase in the number of practitioners.

Previously, there hadn't been much near Jieshi Mountain, but after flying for a while, he was shocked to discover that the air was filled with flowing light and vibrant colors, with dozens or hundreds of rays of light circulating—it was an uncountable number of practitioners.

In Tao Shiqing's memory, practitioners were few and far between. After all, even the Qingyun Sect, the head of the three great righteous sects, only had a thousand people, and most of them practiced within the sect, rarely descending the mountain.

Compared to the common masses of the world, practitioners were pitifully few.

But now, practitioners could be seen everywhere.

According to the young Enforcement Officer, this was because the Jade Tower Master advocated "education without discrimination," opening "Dao Fields" all over the world to teach the methods of cultivation, which was why the number of practitioners had multiplied.

Precisely because of this, the skies above some prosperous towns had become crowded, and Tao Shiqing saw personnel similar to the Enforcement Officer directing traffic in the skies above the towns.

Besides this, Tao Shiqing also saw some special magical treasures.

These magical treasures all had one characteristic, and that was—they were large.

This type of magical treasure could carry many people, similar to the carriages of the past, only much more convenient.

Passing by another small town, Sanskrit chants rang out, and patches of golden light shone brilliantly.

Tao Shiqing looked down, and the Sanskrit chants were coming from a wheat field.

Many people were standing outside the wheat field, but inside the wheat field, there was only one young monk with a smile on his lips.

The monk had his palms pressed together, his legs planted deep into the muddy field, and behind him emerged a Bodhisattva Faxiang several zhang tall.

This Bodhisattva had a hundred hands, holding tools similar to sickles in them. Following the monk's cry of "Amitabha," that Faxiang began to harvest in the wheat field. Amidst the cheers of the crowd and Tao Shiqing's dumbfounded gaze, it took only four or five breaths for the Faxiang to finish harvesting the entire wheat field, even organizing it in perfect order.

"This, this..." Tao Shiqing was incredibly astonished.

"This monk is a genius youth from Puning Town. He recently returned home on break from the Great Academy. He mainly practices the Thirty-Two Appearances of the Heavenly Sound Tower, and what he is using now is the Thousand-Hand Appearance, though his cultivation isn't quite home yet, so he only has a hundred hands."

The Enforcement Officer beside him explained, his tone carrying a rare hint of envy.

After further conversation, Tao Shiqing gained a deeper understanding of this world.

"Dao Fields" had been opened all over the world, and the geniuses within the Dao Fields, after passing assessments, would be sent to the Great Academy on Liubo Mountain.

The Great Academy was equivalent to a higher-level Dao Field, containing countless cultivation techniques and classics, including even the Taiji Xuanqing Dao, Great Brahma Prajna, and Burning Incense Jade Tome of the former three great righteous sects...

Among them, the Great Academy could be further subdivided into the Saint Tower, Incense Burning Tower, Heavenly Sound Tower, Qingyun Tower, Immortal Fox Tower, and so on. Among these, if one were to speak of the most popular, aside from the Immortal Fox Tower, which was filled with countless beauties, it had to be the Heavenly Sound Tower.

The Heavenly Sound Tower contained the heritage of the former Tianyin Temple, as well as... the Thirty-Two Appearances left behind by the Jade Saint Master.

The Thirty-Two Appearances might not be the strongest divine ability or ultimate technique, but without a doubt, it was the most comprehensive, and one could thrive anywhere with it.

Once a student who learned the Thirty-Two Appearances graduated, they would immediately be fought over by all parties.

Speaking of this, the Enforcement Officer beside him sighed again and again.

Back in the day, he was also a genius student in the Dao Field, and entering the Great Academy was a certainty. Later, because he fell in love with another girl in the Dao Field, and then spent a large amount of time flirting and falling in love, he failed to make the cut...

Tao Shiqing patted him on the shoulder to offer comfort.

The Enforcement Officer chuckled and said, "But I don't regret it, because that girl is now my wife."

Tao Shiqing's comforting hand paused. Thinking of himself, who had been a bachelor for a hundred years, sorrow welled up from within. He continued to comfort him, only the strength of his comforting hand was much greater.

Before long, a magnificent and vast city could be seen in the distance.

"Brother Tao, let's agree on this first: this Liutian City is ranked as one of the 'Twelve Towers and Five Cities' of this session. It is different from other places and has countless experts, so you must be careful." The young Enforcement Officer's expression was serious as he cautioned: "Also, when I register your identity later, there will be a magical treasure similar to the 'Heart-Questioning Mirror' placed beside you, so you must answer honestly. Even if you have killed or committed arson in the past, do not hide it, otherwise, you will only face an additional crime..."

"Understood, Brother Li. I was just a rogue cultivator in the past and didn't do anything bad." Tao Shiqing said helplessly: "You've said these few sentences seven or eight times along the way."

In the process of communicating, he had already learned that the Enforcement Officer's surname was Li, and he was called Li Qingkong.

"It's fine as long as there's nothing, it's fine as long as there's nothing..."

While speaking, the two had already entered Liutian City.

Even though he had already seen countless things that were inconceivable to Tao Shiqing along this journey, the moment he truly entered Liutian City, he was still shocked by the scene before his eyes.

Beneath his feet was a wide road, enough for thirty carriages to travel side by side.

This was not a stone slab road, but the cement road the young Enforcement Officer had mentioned; it was very smooth to walk on.

Moreover, he could feel the intent of an Array circulating; clearly, this entire Liutian City was protected by an Array.

In the center of the traffic lanes, there was a neat landscaped divider, splitting the entire lane into two, with various flowers and plants planted within, all of which had been carefully selected.

On the left and right sides, white lines were drawn, separating the pedestrian paths from the vehicle lanes.

On those white lines, special spiritual power also faintly circulated. Once a vehicle lost control, the white lines would emit light to block it, so as not to hurt pedestrians.

The streets were bustling with traffic and crowds of people. Besides the carriages Tao Shiqing recognized, there were many strange and peculiar means of transport, such as four-wheeled iron-skinned vehicles that emitted a beast-like roar when running. There were also small two-wheeled vehicles, generally ridden by a single person. There were also trains suspended in the air, which were said to be propelled by spiritual power; they had a total of twelve carriages, and each carriage could hold hundreds of people.

Because the entire sky was not allowed to be flown in except by special personnel, the ground was crowded with people.

Among these crowds, there were even black-skinned or white-skinned foreigners.

Regarding this point, the Enforcement Officer Li Qingkong had already educated Tao Shiqing, and he naturally remembered it.

The Changsheng Tower was constantly expanding its territory, having already fought to a place called Europe in the west, and only the last group of Holy Knights remained in desperate resistance. The territory was vast, and people of all races gathered there.

And upon arriving in this big city, Tao Shiqing understood even more why the young Enforcement Officer could easily judge that he was an "old antique" who had emerged after many years of seclusion.

This was not only because the cultivation techniques everyone practiced now were related to the stone walls left behind by the Jade Saint Master, but also because of the issue of clothing.

Many of these clothes maintained an ancient style, but they had changed greatly from the past; now, in Liutian City, this was even more intuitive.

These clothes were more concise and lighter than those of a hundred years ago... and revealing.

Especially the attire of some young girls, which made Tao Shiqing, an old man who hadn't been close to a woman in two hundred years, swallow his saliva in secret. Was that slit on the skirt intended to reach the armpit?

"Don't look, be careful you won't be able to sleep at night." Li Qingkong smiled and patted Tao Shiqing on the shoulder, and he didn't pat lightly either.

"Ahem." Tao Shiqing coughed twice and hurriedly said: "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense, I am just admiring the scenery after a hundred years."

Li Qingkong put down a mirror the size of his palm; he had been talking to the mirror earlier, and he smiled: "I just spoke with a friend at the 'Administration Hall.' It's very busy there right now, so I had him get you a number. We'll stroll around the city first before going, and it should be about right."

Tao Shiqing nodded and smiled sincerely: "Many thanks."

"Haha, this is our job." Li Qingkong laughed: "Let's go, let's go take a look at the most famous 'Baiyujing' first."

The two boarded a suspended train.

Compared to piloting magical artifacts, this levitating train is another novel experience.

After a quarter of an hour, the two arrived in a massive plaza; the plaza was bustling with people, and there were various shops and buildings all around.

The most conspicuous one was a seven-story tall tower, with the three characters "Baiyujing" hanging on it.

In front of Baiyujing, a nine-tailed white fox sculpture was coiled, its nine tails spread out as if they could cover the sky and block the sun. Its head was held proudly toward the sky, as if gazing at the moon. Even as a stone carving, one could feel the elegance and composure of this Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox.

"If the cultivation techniques and divine abilities of the various righteous and demonic sects of the past all originated from the Origin Heavenly Book, then the seven stone walls within 'Baiyujing' are the source of all methods in the current cultivation world. It is a pity that the true 'Baiyujing' and the seven stone walls are both on the holy land of Liubo Mountain; only those who have made significant contributions to Changsheng Tower are permitted to enter."

Li Qingkong shook his head and sighed: "As for this 'Baiyujing' in our Liutian City, it was ordered to be built by Bai Tower Master, and the stone tablets inside were carved by Bai Tower Master based on the seven stone tablets of Liubo Mountain. But even so, it is the stone tablet that has best inherited the true teachings of Saint Master Yu among the twelve towers, and it is of great help to cultivators."

The holy land of Changsheng Tower is on Liubo Mountain in the East Sea.

More accurately, it is that island in the lake where Yu Liancheng originally invited the experts of the demonic path to enter.

Yu Liancheng once went into seclusion on that small island, and both Baiyujing and the seven stone walls were on that island, so it gradually became a holy land.

To enter the holy land and view the seven stone walls, one requires monstrous merit.

Except for the Ghost King, Puhong, Sanyao Madam, and others who followed Saint Master Yu in the past, the number of people in later generations who have been able to enter the holy land does not exceed the count of two hands. And the cultivators who can step into the holy land are all individuals whose cultivation has transcended the mundane and entered the sacred. After viewing the stone walls, except for one person who suffered a deviation in cultivation, the rest all saw their cultivation skyrocket, and some even created incredible divine abilities and ultimate techniques.

I fear that 99 percent of the cultivators in the world dream of entering the holy land, so as to borrow the stone walls to catch a glimpse of the Dao, or even to attain the Dao of longevity and look down upon the passage of time.

There are also quite a few ambitious people who want to sneak into the holy land to spy on the secrets of heaven.

But unfortunately, not to mention that the holy land is already heavily defended, the Black Water Profound Snake and the Water Qilin in the lake alone are enough to instantly kill the vast majority of cultivators in the world.

Li Qingkong said: "The first floor of Baiyujing is open for any cultivator to view. However, to go further up, one also needs to make contributions to Changsheng Tower. I have already seen the stone wall on the first floor, so I won't go in; you go in, and don't linger for too long."

"Alright." Tao Shiqing nodded and walked into 'Baiyujing'.

Because it was considered that there would be many visitors, although Baiyujing appeared small, its internal space was actually quite vast, so Tao Shiqing chose a spot and saw the stone wall at a glance.

There were two lines of text on the stone wall.

——Roaming the North Sea in the morning and the Cangwu in the evening, the Green Snake in my sleeve gives me bold spirit.

Besides this, there was also a stone carving of a person flying as an immortal while wielding a sword.

Like everyone who sees the stone wall for the first time, Tao Shiqing was instantly plunged into a kind of wordless shock.

A full quarter of an hour passed before he awoke from this shock. Afterward, his brows furrowed tightly, a look of contemplation appeared in his eyes, and he began to ruminate and reflect.

Another half an hour passed, and Tao Shiqing let out a long breath. Thinking that he could not keep Li Qingkong waiting too long, he turned and walked toward the outside of the tower. After taking two steps, he looked back again and glanced up at the floors above.

Just the first floor had given him such great insight; he wondered what kind of text and patterns were carved on the stone walls of the six floors above. And whether the stone walls left behind by Saint Master Yu in the legends could truly help people attain longevity.

It is truly a world that makes one yearn for it.

Walking out of 'Baiyujing', Tao Shiqing looked around and soon saw Li Qingkong reading a newspaper not far away.

"Wait a moment, let me finish this novel."

Li Qingkong noticed Tao Shiqing's arrival, said this to the latter, and then continued to look down at the newspaper.

Tao Shiqing glanced at his newspaper and discovered it was a novel newspaper called "Qidian".

He did not have much interest in novels. Looking at the newspaper, he discovered that many of the headlines today were very similar, and they all faintly carried the scent of ink, as if they had just been printed not long ago.

Liutian Monthly: The Holy Knights are completely wiped out, the light of longevity shines upon Europe.

Arc Moon Journal: A peerless genius of the Great Academy emerges, 'Qinghui Sword Immortal' breaks the Holy Knights with a sword.

The content of the newspapers was more or less the same; it was roughly that the last of the resisting Holy Knights in Europe had been wiped out, and the one who contributed the most was a peerless genius from the Great Academy, who had killed the strongest Apocalypse Knight in the Holy Knight Order.

Li Qingkong finished reading a novel, and while gaining enjoyment, he also cursed because of the author's cliffhanger. Afterward, he saw Tao Shiqing reading the newspaper with rapt attention and laughed: "Those Holy Knights were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; they only had one outcome: destruction. I think the big shots of the holy land intended to temper the students of the Great Academy, which is why they didn't rush to kill them all. Yet, I didn't expect they wouldn't last long."

He leaned closer to Tao Shiqing's ear and whispered: "It is said that this 'Qinghui Sword Immortal' is a peerless beauty, and she is half-human and half-fox. It is estimated that it has something to do with the previous Bai Tower Master, and some even say she is the daughter of Saint Master Yu and Bai Tower Master."

Seeing Tao Shiqing look over in surprise, Li Qingkong coughed twice: "Alright, I didn't say anything. Since you've seen the stone carving, let's continue on. Let's go to the 'World's End Ancient Cave' and take a look. It is said that it was the place where the World's End Immortal once went into seclusion, and this World's End Immortal was a peerless powerhouse who had once stepped into the holy land."

"Alright." Tao Shiqing nodded.

The sunlight gradually slanted; this was the first day after Tao Shiqing came out of seclusion. This day caused his life to undergo earth-shaking changes, yet it was also just the most ordinary day for the masses.

……

PS: Tomorrow is Nightfall, asking for monthly votes.