Chapter 937 - 661: Chaotic Times

On this day.

Zaxi’s brows were already tightly knitted together.

At this moment, he was standing under the corridor of his own courtyard, holding a half-foot-long feather painted with golden lacquer in his hand.

This is the message from a golden eagle!

Used only in the face of true emergencies, it was sent by his in-law.

"What emergency could it be this time?"

Zaxi quickly extracted the written message recorded on it.

"What?"

The content of the message made his heart sink suddenly.

A solitary cultivator had inexplicably arrived at a border fortress under the jurisdiction of his in-law.

That person, clothed in a dusty Daoist robe, had an aura that was cold and intimidating. With a mere disagreement, he forcibly occupied the most perilous high ground in the fortress, ordering the entire village of mortals to offer livestock and women, using magic to intimidate them at the slightest disobedience.

By rights, this shouldn’t be considered an earth-shattering event.

This land had its own rules: the Grotto Heaven governed, the cultivators to the cultivators, the mortals to the mortals.

Whenever an unruley cultivator appeared among the mortals, it only needed reporting to the Grotto Heaven, there a law-enforcing Immortal Envoy would come to handle the matter, without exception.

But this time, there was an unexpected turn.

That cultivator who occupied the large fortress unexpectedly mocked with a cold sneer:

"You are still waiting for the Grotto Heaven to take care of it?"

"Truth be told—the Grotto Heaven, has dissolved."

"Impossible?!"

Zaxi’s complexion changed drastically.

The Grotto Heaven had governed for over a hundred years.

Ever since Zaxi could remember, there had always been this towering, unshakable existence over their heads, governing all cultivators, setting order.

In these years, all areas were stable, the clans were at peace.

Though the cultivators stood high above, rarely did they wantonly slaughter mortals, everything followed protocol, like the cyclical rotation of the sun and moon, the natural order of things.

But now, someone was telling him—the Grotto Heaven, was gone.

"Could it be that something terrible happened to Feather Immortal Master...?"

"And what about the group of family members cultivating in the Grotto Heaven...?"

One thought after another surged crazily in Zaxi’s heart, leaving him restless and in chaos.

He understood better than anyone the significance of the Grotto Heaven’s existence.

It wasn’t merely a mountain, a cave dwelling.

It was a sword hanging over the head of every cultivator, it was the rule pressing down upon the entire land.

Once the Grotto Heaven dissolved, the sword would be ownerless, the rule would crumble.

"Cultivators aren’t devoid of desires, their desires are even stronger and more unrestrained than mortals."

"They used to fear the rules of Feather Immortal Master, but without the restraints of the Grotto Heaven..."

Zaxi slowly clenched his fists, a deep fear flashing in his eyes.

He could almost foresee the entire land being turned upside down in a very short time.

The ambitions, killings, and plunders that had been suppressed would pour down like a flood breaking through a dam.

Mountains and rivers changing color, blood flowing into a river, would be nothing out of the ordinary.

Mortals and clans, in the face of unrestrained cultivators, were they any different from ants?

"Such a tumultuous era is coming..."

Zaxi murmured to himself, his voice carrying a slight, almost imperceptible tremble.

"Without the protection of a cultivator, without a strong backing, our clan would be nothing more than fish and meat on the chopping board, left for others to butcher."

The wind swept through the courtyard, lifting a few fallen leaves.

He gazed at the heavy sky in the distance, feeling an unprecedented chill surging from his feet straight to his head.

The panic of the impending chaos, like cold water, crawled along his spine, sending a wave of coldness throughout his body.

"Someone come!"

"Immediately invite all the elders and core stewards of the clan to the secret hall of the ancestral shrine for a meeting."

"Yes!"

...

In less than the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, the secret hall of the ancestral shrine was brightly lit.

Several elders with grizzled hair and beards, and the stewards of various branches, had all arrived, each with a solemn expression.

Zaxi relayed the content of the golden eagle message word for word.

As his voice fell, the hall plunged into dead silence.

A moment later, shock, anger, fear, and unease erupted like a tide.

"The Grotto Heaven... has dissolved?"

"What about Feather Immortal Master? What about the clan’s disciples?"

"If those cultivators start causing chaos, how will our mortal clans defend ourselves?"

Zaxi suppressed the chaos in his heart, slammed the table, and said in a deep voice:

"Do as I say immediately."

"First, close the three checkpoints of the outer village, allow passage by day, but seal them at sunset. No outsiders should enter the village at will."

"Second, reorganization of all able-bodied young people in the clan, with shifts around the clock. Repair arrow towers and traps, fully equip weapons, arrows, rolling stones, and fire oil."

"Third, gather all tribe members who are herding, hunting, and salt collecting outside, and stockpile food, animal hides, herbs, and all usable resources."

These arrangements are not because of cultivators — the mere power of the secular world cannot withstand cultivators.

However, Zaxi worries that ambitious people might rise up during the chaos, and this can reassure the tribe.

"Fourth, send trusted confidants, divided into three groups, to neighboring tribes to scout for news. Any signs of cultivator movements or rumors about the Grotto Heaven should be reported back immediately, without concealment."

"Fifth, strictly forbid tribe members from provoking any cultivators. If encountered on the road, avoid them. Do not confront them, even if it means enduring some humiliation, bear it for now."

"Sixth, secretly prepare to disperse the tribe members and reserve several escape routes in case of unforeseen events."

Order after order was issued in an orderly manner.

Though everyone felt uneasy, Zaxi, as the steward at this moment, with his clear direction, managed to slightly ease their anxiety.

Zaxi said in a low voice:

"All of this... is for the continuation of the tribe."

...

In the days that followed, the tension in the air grew ever tighter.

At first, there were only sporadic rumors.

Gradually, more and more news about cultivators spread like poisonous grass across the land.

There were cultivators forcibly occupying mansions in the city, and taking wives and concubines.

There were cultivators who, in order to seize spiritual objects, would massacre entire mountain villages.

There were cultivators who, with a disagreement, would resort to magic to kill, viewing mortal lives as worthless.

A bloody aura slowly enveloped the vast land.

The Grotto Heaven, which once restrained everything, seemed to have completely disappeared, leaving not a trace of information.

Indeed, chaos had arrived.

Zaxi was restless day by day, gazing at the sky with a long sigh:

"Alas!"

"Grotto Heaven!"

However, as time passed day by day.

To Zaxi’s surprise — their Mountain City, and the range of their tribe’s power, remained incredibly stable.

There were no cultivators forcibly breaking in, no evil cultivators coming to extort tributes, not even a few approaching.

At first, Zaxi was suspicious, but then he suddenly understood, his heart eased intensely, flushing with joy:

"It must be my uncle and the others!"

"It must be the elder in the Grotto Heaven, still present, causing them to hesitate and not dare to easily invade our tribe!"

This thought emerged, and the heart he had been holding all these days finally settled a little.

But what followed was deeper anxiety.

Why hasn’t my uncle and the others returned yet?

He bore the heavy burden of the life and death of the entire tribe.

He was, after all, not a cultivator; even with the Mountain City stable, he felt no sense of security, like walking on the edge of a cliff.

He could only pray day and night that the tribe members in the Grotto Heaven were safe and hastened their return to support the precarious situation.

Amidst this agony and hope.

At midday, suddenly the sky rang with a low hum of something breaking through.

A gigantic phantom of a flying vessel parted the clouds, gently descending outside the Mountain City.

The guards on the city wall instantly tensed their heart spirits, but upon glimpsing the familiar tribal flag on the flying vessel, everyone erupted in excitement.

"It’s the Immortal Envoy of our tribe!"

"Finally returned!"

Zaxi nearly sprinted, rushing to the city gate.

He saw the flying vessel descend, a group of cultivators with steady auras and sharp gazes walking down.

The one leading, with an aura like a mountain, was Red Wood, who handled the aftermath of the Grotto Heaven and led the last batch of tribe members out.

Zaxi’s eyes warmed upon seeing him:

"Uncle! You... you finally returned!"

After a few words of brief appeasement, Red Wood glanced around without inquiring about the situation and said directly:

"How is father? How has he been recently?"

Zaxi lowered his voice:

"Your grandfather... seems like a changed person now, wholeheartedly seeking immortality, closed doors in recent months, immersed in cultivation."

"Just a few days ago, on the sixth day of the sixth month, the day of heavenly virtue, he ascended the Stargazing Platform and gathered the true essence of Willow Earth."

Upon hearing this, Red Wood’s steps suddenly halted.

Seeking immortality?

Gathering essence?

As a Grotto Heaven cultivator, he naturally understood all too well.

The first step of cultivation is to awaken the spiritual aperture.

Without the aperture, gathering as much essence is futile, unable to ever step into the door of cultivation.

Wishing to assist, but the spiritual aperture is innate, ordained by heaven and earth, even figures like Master cannot change it, so what could he do?

For a moment, this cultivator, considered outstanding even within the Grotto Heaven, found himself at a loss for words and could only remain silent.