Chapter 358

"Still returning them, it's already been a whole day."

"According to the quantity, almost everything that was eaten before has been returned."

"I heard that it's not just Shengjing; other commanderies and counties are all like this."

On the tea houses and wine shops on both sides of Yongsheng Street, the discussions continued, but the volume was much more restrained than before.

After the refugees stopped entering the city, the carts of aristocratic families from all over were constantly pouring into the cities where they were located, returning the large quantity of grain to the Wulu Trading Firm, which had been going on for a whole day.

Now standing at a high place and looking down, one could see countless bulging grain bags lined up in sequence on the main street, blocking the road section until it was impassable.

But the Wulu Trading Firm did not move the grain back because of this, but let it lie horizontally on the street.

In this special period of grain shortage, there was clearly such a large amount of grain on the street, but no one dared to touch it at all.

Even the magical artifacts sent with the carts were in a state of being stared at by countless eyes but never dared to be approached.

The entire atmosphere was as if it had solidified together, stiff and unchangeable.

But even if the surface was calm, they could still feel two invisible large hands turning the clouds and rain in this matter.

One of them naturally came from Ji You, and the other was the coalition of thousands of aristocratic families in Qingyun.

Most cultivators were just watching the fun and didn't know what had happened behind it, but as the snatched grain was returned, they could judge a result.

Ji You did not apologize, but the aristocratic families of the world first admitted defeat.

This result was really strongly provoking everyone's nerves, making people feel very uncomfortable.

Because since the rise of the human race a thousand years ago, only the Xian Sects had ever been able to make the aristocratic families admit defeat.

But now there was one person, all alone, sitting quietly in the northeast without a word, yet pressing all the aristocratic families to bow their heads.

Above the tea house, countless people held their cups and thought silently, their expressions complex.

No matter what the process was, they felt that this invisible struggle should end with Ji You's victory.

But in reality, this matter had not ended; on the contrary, it was stuck at a juncture that made all parties feel incomparably nervous.

"Has Ji You replied?"

"Reporting to the Hall Master, there has been no response of any kind from Fengzhou."

In the discussion pavilion behind the misty mountain cliffs in front of the five main peaks of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, Lu Fengchuan heard the report from the disciple below his seat, his brows furrowing deeply, and this response also set off a heated discussion among the Elders.

"Is he going to see this through to the end?"

Elder Ge muttered, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

It had been a thousand years, and he had never heard of anyone wanting to deprive the Xian Sects and aristocratic families of the world's tax levies.

Not to mention combat power or status, just looking at the current situation, he found that the student who entered the academy five years ago and had been called a rural private cultivator for a long time was now so strong that it was unbearable when facing the affairs of the world.

"I have lived for nearly a hundred years, and this is the first time I have seen someone so confrontational, yet the Xian Sect chose restraint at the first moment instead of direct suppression."

Peng Zhanglao, who was sitting next to Elder Ge, couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Elder Ge came back to his senses upon hearing this, pondered for a long time, and then looked at Peng Zhanglao: "If it were someone else, I fear they would have already been surrounded and annihilated, but Ji You indeed has uniqueness. He tore open the Heavenly Dao Festival and killed Chu Xian. Theoretically speaking, he has a favor to the six major Xian Sects, so it is difficult for the Xian Sects to deal with him on the surface."

"Favors are always worthless in the eyes of the Xian Sects. I believe many people will not think this is a favor."

"That is true, but cutting off the Heavenly Dao Festival is just the least obvious aspect. The most important thing is the attitude of the other Xian Sects, including our Heavenly Tian Shuyuan."

Elder Ge spoke, looking up at the acting Abbot Zuo Qiuyang sitting in the middle of the discussion hall.

Peng Zhanglao frowned upon hearing this: "Everyone in the world knows that Ji You is not favored by the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan. How can he be sure that the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan will stand on his side?"

"Our Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's attitude is in doubt, but he must have confirmed that someone else is standing on his side."

As the words fell, the two couldn't help but exchange glances, thinking of Spirit Sword Mountain, which had remained silent just like the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan in this matter.

They had also been to the Dongping Mountain Range back then, where Elder Ge almost died there, so naturally, they had also heard that "family matter."

"The six major Xian Sects suffered heavy losses after the disaster. Abbot Xuanyuan died, the Abbot of the Chen Clan has not appeared since, and our Tian Shuyuan Head has also passed away. Under the covetous eyes of the barbarian and demon tribes, everyone is avoiding internal strife so as not to give other tribes an opportunity."

Elder Ge muttered: "From the time he woke up to the time he left, it was only a mere half-month. I saw him wandering around the mountain several times, but I didn't expect that he had already calculated the whole world."

Peng Zhanglao stroked his beard upon hearing this: "Perhaps it is our human race's hesitant attitude toward the barbarian and demon invasion that made him confirm that the Xian Sects are currently least willing to go to war in a weak state, hence today's undercurrents."

"Was he thinking about these things when he was in a wheelchair?"

"It's better to say that everything he thought about along the way was these things—not cultivation for longevity, not possessing the world, but always these things."

Speaking of this, the two couldn't help but think again of how he exposed his cultivation to save a young girl and entered the academy, then went as an envoy to the Snow Region, killed the Soldier King with a sword, and after defeating Chu He and entering the inner courtyard, immediately returned to Fengzhou to establish an immortal manor.

Inertial thinking would make people feel that Ji You had always been trying to get rid of his private cultivator status and climb higher and higher, but after a long time, one could discover that what he wanted was never the same as others.

"His enlightenment realm has always been unable to grow. He has been in the Profound Understanding Realm for four years but hasn't made an inch of progress. Many people say he has a heart demon."

"Do you mean his heart demon is here?"

Elder Ge pondered and then spoke: "Obsession will be reflected through behavior, but the specifics are unknown. However, regarding the tax levy matter, I still feel that Ji You cannot succeed."

Peng Zhanglao raised his eyes: "Why?"

"Ji You's bottom line is too high, and his corresponding weaknesses are too obvious. And a person with too high a bottom line can never defeat someone with an extremely low bottom line."

Southeast of Yuzhou, Wanchuan County.

At the same time the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was discussing matters, under the dense night in the desolate wilderness, a group of private cultivators from Fengzhou were wearing the immortal robes of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, walking through the wild ridges.

Their actions were unusually careful, using spiritual energy to block the vibrations and airflow generated by their movements, so that they walked without a sound.

Walking up along the mountain ridge, they constantly used their spiritual sense to explore, looking at large areas of farmland and countless water wells.

As they looked, they locked onto a direction on the dirt road in the field, and then the group whistled away.

In an instant, these private cultivators landed in the cold wind, arrived at that dirt road, and then their eyes suddenly shrank.

Only to see that in the middle of the road, the thirteen carts from the Wulu Trading Firm were parked quietly, while the horses pulling the carts were already headless, and blood was spilled all over the ground.

Such a scene appeared unusually eerie under the quiet night, making people feel a chill in their hearts.

"Where are the people?"

"There is no one left."

During the low-voiced exchange, someone walked to the front of the carts, where the horses had fallen, and reached out to touch the bloodstains.

Winter is cold, so the blood would freeze.

And judging from its frozen and spread state, these horses had been dead for a long time.

Seeing this scene, the Fengzhou private cultivators wearing the Mountain Sea Pavilion immortal robes were silent for a while.

Ordering the aristocratic families to return the grain and replace them in providing relief to the commoners was the courtesy first, but after the courtesy, there would often be the soldiers following.

After a long silence, these private cultivators couldn't help but look up toward the northeast.

There was a magnificent and towering mountain range, surrounded by immortal light and mist, which was the immortal dojo of the Asking Dao Sect.

"This Profound Iron Cold Prison has held those in the Realm of Merging with the Dao, and even those in the Realm of Responding to Heaven. You private cultivators in the Lower Three Realms actually have no qualifications to be locked in here."

"Now that you can witness the Heavenly Prison of the Xian Sect, it is also your ancestors accumulating virtue for you rural ruffians."

On the west side of the back mountain of Asking Dao Mountain, in the stone prison under the Black Cliff, raging flames constantly shone, illuminating the prison in a dim yellow.

Executive Elder Shang Ye was looking at the prison with a ferocious face, his words full of coldness.

And where his gaze reached, twenty-six shopkeepers and more than three hundred assistants were all tied hand and foot, locked in the prison in a kneeling and forward-leaning posture, their faces cold.

They were responsible for leasing land in Yuzhou. They had received news from Fengzhou earlier and were preparing to return with the last batch of Fish-Scale Registers, but they were still captured.

Shang Ye saw that they were silent, and couldn't help but twist his long beard: "Write a letter to your master, tell him you want to live, tell him that as long as he returns the Fish-Scale Registers, I can let you go!"

"Pah!" Shopkeeper Yu braced himself, raised his head, and spat at him.

"You!"

"Seeking death!"

Shang Ye suddenly raised his hand, his palm gathering countless spiritual energy, and killing intent instantly splashed out.

But before this palm could fall, he remembered the scene of his cousin Shang Que's corpse being brought back from Dan Mountain, and he put his hand down fiercely.

"Are you not afraid of death?"

"Do you know why I became a private cultivator?" Shopkeeper Yu braced his waist, "Because twenty years ago, there was a severe drought, and you forcibly collected tax levies, forcing my parents to death. Since then, I, Yu, have not been afraid of death!"

Shang Ye narrowed his eyes: "Then do you know that my Asking Dao Sect has ten thousand ways to make you wish you were dead?"

Shopkeeper Yu clenched his fists: "Have you been to Fengzhou?"

"Why would I go to that desolate place?"

"Then you definitely don't know that after Fengzhou was rebuilt, our Proprietor liked to write slogans on the walls, and there is one that I like the most."

"?"

"Arise, you people who do not want to be slaves, let us cast our flesh and blood into our new Great Wall."

Being tied by ropes on the shoulders and bound backward, one can only kneel and lean forward. This posture is the most torturous, and it can exhaust a person in half an hour.

That unyielding voice was indeed exhausted, but it was hard and full of hatred.

A fierce look flashed in Shang Ye's eyes, and just as he was about to speak again, he heard footsteps coming from behind.

He turned his head to look and found that it was Deputy Abbot Shang Xingkong who had brought several Elders to the prison.

Seeing this scene, Shang Ye instantly bowed.

After Shang Xingkong stood still, he scanned the area and then spoke slowly: "First, take off their waist plates, pack them together, and send them to Fengzhou."

"Yes!"

After hearing this, Shang Ye immediately gave a wink to the disciples around him.

The next instant, these twenty-six shopkeepers and more than three hundred assistants were all stepped on the ground, their iron plates at their waists were all taken off and thrown into a wooden box.

And in this process, some people had already started to tremble all over, and some even sobbed.

For a thousand years since the tax levies supported the immortals, the fear of cultivators by mortals had almost been carved into their bones. Even looking up at them on a daily basis would make them tremble, let alone being stepped under their feet.

"Recall the commoners in the prefecture, secretly watch all the Wulu Trading Firms in the city, and after the waist plates are sent, wait for three days. If you don't see the Fish-Scale Registers, send him a head every day from then on."

After Shang Xingkong finished speaking, he turned around, waved his robes, and left, walking out of the dungeon and heading up the mountain along the road.

There was already a chill permeating Asking Dao Mountain in early winter, and looking around, it was desolate.