Chapter 263: The True Root of Disaster

On the northwestern side of the Dongping Mountains, in a flat valley near a wild lake.

Due to the dampness of the forest, the branches burning continuously crackled and spat sparks in all directions.

The two chief stewards of the Heavenly Book Academy, Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao, along with Elders Fang and Ge, stood atop a low cliff, watching the cultivators resting at the valley's bottom.

To the east were the disciples of their Heavenly Book Academy; to the west and south, the disciples of Wenda Sect and Shanhai Pavilion; among them, scattered members of other sects were recovering their qi, their faces flickering dimly and brightly in the dancing firelight.

Investigating Dou Yuan Kong had taken a month, and since entering the mountains, another month and a half had passed.

From discovering the Bu family's presence, to realizing they had underestimated their terrifying nature, to sending more disciples—during this half-month, they had labored endlessly without gaining any results.

Yet neither the Heavenly Book Academy nor the other immortal sects showed signs of fatigue; instead, they subtly exuded excitement.

For anyone who had witnessed the Bu family transforming into demonic corpses understood this was something capable of overturning the world.

"More than twenty Bu family members fled into the mountains, but the key figures have never shown themselves—apparently they've gone into hiding."

"And more than half of them were dispatched to confuse our vision, leading us on wild chases through the mountains."

"These disciples are only slightly stronger than Rongdao cultivators, yet we cannot even find or capture them."

Elder Fang stood with his hands behind his back, his gloomy voice carried away by the wind.

He was a Great Being of the Wujiang Realm, his spiritual sense stronger than others', yet even he felt powerless against the vast Dongping Mountains.

Thus they had dispatched disciples to scour the area, but after so many days with no success, his tone carried unmistakable reproach.

Ji Jingyao and Qin Rong glanced at him: "Six disciples sent to search Beishan are dead, eight wounded—all to capture them alive. Had our goal been killing, we wouldn't be so passive."

Elder Fang turned to them: "What use is questioning a corpse? We must understand how they transformed into demonic seeds, so we can prepare."

Hearing this, the two exchanged a glance.

They both knew preparation was merely Elder Fang's face-saving excuse.

In truth, nearly everyone in the valley thought the same: they didn't see human transformation into demonic seeds as a catastrophe, but as an opportunity.

Especially the old monsters in the Elder Pavilion, whose lifespans were nearly spent.

They had been stuck in bottlenecks for years, staring at the brink of death—how could they remain calm upon hearing such news?

Elder Fang watched their expressions, his sunken eyes flashing coldly: "Things in Qingyun Heaven aren't simply black or white. Some things need not be used, but cannot be without."

Elder Ge immediately replied: "Elder Fang speaks truly. To lack it is the true root of disaster. You two are heads of your own clans—have you ever imagined a day when your rival families are flooded with Rongdao cultivators and Yingtian-level elders roaming freely? How will you stand then?"

Ji Jingyao fell silent for a long moment, then nodded slightly: "You two elders are right. In Qingyun Heaven, what truly is the root of disaster is having what others possess and you do not."

Elder Fang now lowered his gaze to survey the valley: "Other immortal sects have sent more disciples, and their disciples' realms are higher than ours. We should send more high-realm disciples."

Qin Rong looked up: "This sort of thing should be kept secret. If everyone has the opportunity, its value diminishes."

"That's a problem to consider only after securing the opportunity."

"You mean…?"

"The Inner Court has many disciples idling on the mountain, meditating all day. They ought to contribute something to the sect."

Elder Fang's intent to dispatch more disciples was precisely conveyed to Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao—but the problem was, this was no easy task.

The more people involved, the higher the risk of leaks.

And this wasn't a pilgrimage—it was a capture operation, with potential casualties, requiring extreme caution in selection.

At that moment, Ji Jingyao paused, glancing at Qin Rong.

Qin Rong met his gaze, and a name surfaced in both their minds—Ji You.

Among the Stewards, Ji You was the Heavenly Book Academy's most useful disciple—he had slain the Sword Forest, crossed the Snow Realm, and won the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

Too bad he failed to break through after leaving the Sage Land; otherwise, even reaching Rongdao would have made him invaluable.

Qin Rong sighed softly, when suddenly Elder Ge's voice sounded beside his ear.

"What's causing the commotion?"

"?"

All four looked up and saw a group of Wenda Sect disciples returning, carrying something.

Before they could observe clearly, another squad of Heavenly Book Academy disciples arrived in the valley, sparking murmurs.

Elder Fang instantly leapt from the cliff, followed by Elder Ge, Qin Rong, and Ji Jingyao.

Then they saw a head—eyes closed, pale skin tinged with a dark, gloomy hue.

Elder Fang stared at the head, furious: "Why did you kill it?!"

The disciple who brought the corpse looked up, trembling: "It's not alive, but it's still a Bu family member—could we… exchange it for some pills?"

"What use is a dead one? I ordered you to keep them alive!"

"This, this…"

Elder Fang glared coldly: "Who gave you the audacity to disobey orders?"

The returning disciples raised their heads, hesitated, then spoke: "Respected Elder, we didn't kill it."

Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao exchanged glances: "You didn't kill it?"

"We found their corpses during our search."

"?"

Elder Fang immediately frowned: "Where did you find them?"

The disciple bowed low: "In a valley to the east—there were three…"

"Who did this?"

"When we arrived, only the corpses remained. We don't know who struck them down."

Hearing this, Elder Fang's gaze turned icy: "Wasteful beyond measure!"

His lifespan was nearly spent; for decades he had hoped to break through, yet failed. His mind had long grown dark, and now, with hope finally appearing, it was destroyed by others—he could not calm himself.

Seeing Elder Fang enraged, the two stewards exchanged glances, a flicker of confusion in their eyes.

For they had examined the neck wound—clean, precise, clearly executed with ease.

Yet they couldn't understand why the attacker hadn't captured the target alive to exchange for pills, spirit stones, or techniques—why cut off the head outright?

Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao snapped back to attention, turning toward Wenda Sect.

If their earlier observation was correct, what they carried back were also Bu family corpses.

In fact, their guess was right: among the immortal sects present, except Danzong, nearly all had discovered scattered corpses in the forests.

Wenda Sect, the Chen Shixian Clan, and Shanhai Pavilion—all were buzzing with conversation.

"Someone really killed Bu family members and left their bodies in the wild?"

"Yes, five corpses found so far—all decapitated by a single sword strike, never spared for capture."

"The lowest-ranked Bu family member in the mountains was Rongdao—plus their ability to transform into demonic seeds, how could anyone possess such strength?"

"Could it be an Elder from some sect?"

"Impossible. All major sects have orders to keep Bu family members alive."

"Not all."

"?"

"It's said the Junior Inspector of Lingjian Mountain issued a kill order."

"Impossible—we recently encountered Lingjian Mountain disciples, and they said they were ordered to capture them alive."

"Those were disciples from Tianjian Peak. Lingjian Mountain differs from other sects—it's the only one with two rulers. Tianjian Peak follows the Master's orders, while Xuanjian Peak follows the Inspector's."

"So the one who killed the Bu family members is an Elder from Xuanjian Peak?"

The Junior Inspector of Lingjian Mountain had indeed issued a kill order—this was known to all other sects.

So when Bu family corpses kept appearing, everyone's first thought was Xuanjian Peak.

Most importantly, the demonic seeds were clearly slain by sharp swords—this matched perfectly.

In the heavy night of the forest, powerful beings from the immortal sects stood with hands behind their backs among the mountains, their gazes cold.

To them, the Junior Inspector of Lingjian Mountain, young as she was, already wielded a Sacred Artifact and possessed extraordinary talent; her lack of external ambition made such an order unsurprising.

Yet even these great beings still felt she was overly arrogant.

The opportunity within the Bu family's bodies wasn't merely about one person's realm—it could reshape Qingyun Heaven's hierarchy, determine the survival of clans, and alter the fate of the Nine Provinces.

Rustle-rustle-rustle—

Beneath the gloomy sky, the heavens over Dongping Mountains showed no sign of brightening with dawn.

Ji You stood among the entangled roots of a thousand-year-old tree, gently massaging his lower back.

The forest offered no decent lodging—he hadn't slept last night, only sat in meditation; now awake, he missed his bed at the Heavenly Book Academy, or at Ji Zhai, or even the phoenix couch of that haughty ghost…

He leapt upward, landing on a towering green rock, using the faint daylight to judge his path.

The Dongping Mountains' terrain rose continuously, peaks overlapping without revealing the sky—so the deeper one went, the colder it became.

The slope ahead was now entirely covered in snow, even insect chirps diminished.

"This environment… reminds me of my homeland."

Zhuo Wanqiu stood beside him, holding a delicate longsword; hearing this, she looked up: "Master, you mean Yuyang County?"

Ji You shook his head: "Somewhere else."

Zhuo Wanqiu blinked, her eyes confused.

Ji You spoke: "The Bu family members sent to confuse us are scattered widely. My advantage is I can faintly sense their locations, but my disadvantage is I'm alone—I must kill Bu family members before others reach them, so speed is critical. If you're tired, say so." Zhuo Wanqiu shook her head: "Master's matters come first—we can keep up."

As she finished speaking, footsteps echoed from afar.

Ding Yao emerged from a distant cave, wearing a new dress: "Master, I'm ready."

Ji You glanced at her with a strange expression, then coughed twice: "Then let's go."

"Yes."

Ding Yao felt today's master was unusually cold, but didn't dwell on it, stepping forward to follow.

Ji You moved with incredible speed, his spiritual energy howling as he skimmed low over the ground. Fortunately, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were not delicate noblewomen; they made not a single complaint despite this grueling pursuit.

Even when their spiritual energy was depleted, they silently pulled out spirit stones to replenish it.

After a long while, Ji You drew his sword between a cluster of low peaks, his blood and qi churning as he leapt down.

Instantly, the sword sang.

Though they had seen it many times, the two women were still awed by every strike their young master delivered, their eyes fixed intently below.

Amid the furious sword-song, facing the sudden surge of malevolent energy, the white-robed figure slashed downward with overwhelming might—a single *whoom* sent one of the figures at the valley's bottom flying violently.

As his blade fell, a sharp claw emerged from the shockwave, slicing through the air with a shrill whistle as it lunged forward.

Just as the claw neared the throat, it was suddenly seized midair by an arm, and a sharp crack of shattering bones rang out.

Ding Yao was watching intently when she suddenly heard Zhuo Wanqiu yawn. She turned to her: "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Zhuo Wanqiu's gaze turned peculiar. "How did you sleep, Senior Sister Ding?"

"Actually… I slept fairly well."

"Did you sleep well—or did you dream well?"

"?"

Zhuo Wanqiu glanced toward Ji You in the valley. "After you went to sleep last night, you started calling out for Young Master…"

At these words, Ding Yao's eyes widened.

She was the type who slept lightly away from her own bed, especially in the mountains where the environment was unsuitable for rest, so she often had dreams.

Last night's dream had been truly improper—so much so that upon waking, she hurriedly found a cave to change clothes, even swapping her gown.

But at least no one knew about her dream, so she hadn't been overly alarmed.

Yet she never imagined she'd spoken in her sleep…

At that moment, Ding Yao recalled Ji You's strange look at her and quickly spoke: "Probably I've gotten used to calling out for Young Master these past few days—I must have muttered it in my sleep."

Zhuo Wanqiu glanced at her. "But you didn't just call him—you started calling him 'brother.'"

"?"

"The Master hasn't called him 'brother' yet, but Senior Sister Ding already did."

Zhuo Wanqiu's mind instantly flashed back to last night's scene.

She'd seen Ding Yao, usually so cold and aloof, repeatedly crying out "brother," and had been too afraid to sleep, fearing she might do the same—so she'd stayed awake all night.

Ding Yao naturally denied it, sternly telling Zhuo Wanqiu she'd been calling out for someone else.

Zhuo Wanqiu didn't believe a word of it; she thought if the Master couldn't hold out, perhaps Senior Sister Ding could share the burden.

Just then, the battle sounds in the valley began to fade.

Ji You slew two more Bu family members, then leapt lightly onto the cliffside.

The ones he'd killed outside Dongping Mountain were mostly at the Dao Integration realm—strong in physique, but no real challenge for him.

But these today were clearly stronger than before.

He sheathed his sword, his spiritual sense surging outward, and turned to the two women: "The Seven Immortal Sects are coming. We leave now."

Zhuo Wanqiu and Ding Yao bowed immediately: "Yes."

The two women followed him as they raced through the mountain forests.

Along the way, Ji You drew his sword again and killed two more Bu family members, only stopping at a cliff as night deepened.

The tally marks he'd drawn on paper were now nearly gone, which brought him slight relief.

Meanwhile, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had already cleared the snow from the cliff and lit a fire.

Yet even after eating dinner and into the late night, neither showed any intention of sleeping.

"Zhuo Junior Sister, you've been awake two days—go rest first."

"You go, Senior Sister Ding…"

"I… I'll meditate."

Zhuo Wanqiu turned to look at Ji You: "Young Master isn't sleeping?"

Ji You glanced at her: "Not tonight. Boys out here must protect themselves."

"?"

The sun rose and set, the stars and moon turned.

Thick mountain mist rose, and through it, countless figures brimming with spiritual energy raced past.

Simultaneously, numerous named Elders hovered in midair, their sharp eyes scanning the deep mountains before lightly tapping their toes and vanishing along the dark ridgelines.

The number of cultivators in the mountains grew denser.

It wasn't because more had arrived, but because cultivators from different Immortal Sects, though operating independently, were Moqi ly shrinking their encirclement.

In their view, as long as they trapped the target in the center, even slowly, these rats hiding in the mountains would inevitably be caught.

This was precisely why Ji You needed to move faster.

As the encirclement tightened, the cultivators' spiritual senses would become increasingly effective.

In fact, since entering the heart of the mountains, he'd nearly been detected by others' spiritual senses several times.

Once, someone clearly sensed the residual shockwaves of battle and came chasing.

Had he not possessed extraordinary strength, he might have been surrounded by cultivators before even killing the Bu family disciples.

He wasn't afraid of encountering others—but if he did, killing would be disrupted and hindered.

Ji You vaguely sensed his next strike might be snatching someone from another's grasp.

Most crucially, the Bu family weren't dead.

Though they could transform into demonic seeds, they weren't truly fearless demonic seeds.

In his view, as the Immortal Sects' mountain-wide search closed in, the Bu family wouldn't sit idle—they'd likely strike first.

That meant the later he waited, the harder his strikes would become.

And he wasn't the only one worried—those great ones from the Immortal Sects felt the same.

Several times, they'd locked onto the Bu family, only to arrive and find corpses.

One… two… three…

The faces of the Immortal Sects' Elders darkened. They thought: This is fucking odd.

They didn't know how this executioner found the Bu family, but they realized the fleeing Bu clan was nearly wiped out—neatly, systematically!

"Strange."

"What's strange?"

"No money pouches—but the ties are still tied. And every corpse is like this."

"?"

Some encountered corpses; others encountered acquaintances.

As the search area shrank, many old acquaintances met by chance.

For instance, in the southern valley of Zhuoying Gorge, those who met there discovered they all knew each other.

Like Jiang Chenfeng, Jiang Yan, Tu Ri from the Wenda Sect; Huo Hong, the illegitimate son of the Shanhai Pavilion; his junior brother Lu Da; his junior sister Jiang Yuerou; Yan Qiubai and Xie Chenyu from Lingjian Mountain; and Chu Butian from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion.

They had once jointly embarked on a mission to the Snowland Demon Tribes. Though each had their own goals, they had shared life and death—especially after the demon tribe's night attack—and had developed bonds.

So this chance meeting naturally led to much greeting and small talk.

"Jiang Brother, haven't you broken through yet?"

"I gained greatly in the Sage's Sanctuary. Had it not been for the demonic seed incident, I'd have already closed off to break through the Ying Tian threshold. But this is better—I'll close off after obtaining the elixirs from Yu Danzong, and it may go smoother."

"The Sage's Sanctuary is truly wondrous. But I heard Ji You hasn't broken through—is that true?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. It's true."

"I never expected this. Back in the Snowland, at the Heavenly Dao Assembly, I thought he'd stand with us. Who'd have thought it'd be so tragic."

When the Chen Clan suffered heavy losses, they didn't send anyone to the Snowland, so only a few from the Heavenly Book Academy were missing.

The basic rule of such gatherings was: whoever's absent, gossip about them. Ji You was naturally the best topic.

His failure to break through was indeed tragic—and somehow satisfying.

As they chatted and laughed, Jiang Chenfeng kept watching Huo Hong, who stood silently.

Since entering Dongping Mountain, this was the second time he'd seen Huo Hong—and Huo Hong's behavior was odd. He was usually talkative, yet both times he'd been silent.

Not because he disliked speaking, but because he seemed preoccupied with something.

Jiang Chenfeng observed for a long time and noticed people kept approaching him, whispering in his ear—as if passing along news…

(End of Chapter)