Chapter 1358: Every Person Like a Dragon

Later, Chen Changsheng heard nothing more of Wei Shiyu.

He did, however, hear of the Immortal-Binding Rope again. It was purely by chance, passing from the lips of a few Rogue Cultivators who claimed that the Daoist cultivators of Lingyue Immortal Island had used the rope to slay a demon. Through this feat, the magical treasure had made a brilliant name for itself.

Chen Changsheng didn't think Wei Shiyu had been caught by the people of Lingyue Immortal Island. Though the little thief was somewhat foolish, the fact that he had managed to steal the Immortal-Binding Rope from the island proved his skill. Even if he were to return the item, he would do so flawlessly, leaving no trace behind.

Right now, he was probably off enjoying himself somewhere. But how long could a thief ply his trade? As the saying went, if you walked by the river often enough, your shoes were bound to get wet. Still, he ought to be fine for now. No news was good news.

...

In the blink of an eye, several more years passed.

A new upheaval shifted the balance of the Mortal World.

The locust plague had left the human dao at a severe disadvantage, and Hongyuan Tianxia seized the opportunity to apply pressure, forcing its advance step by step.

In a direct clash, the human dao wouldn't reap much benefit, but with cultivators holding the line, the situation couldn't spiral too far out of control.

Left with no other choice, Great Jing ceded two cities, and the defensive lines in the Southern Domain were pushed back significantly.

It was a tragedy for the human dao, yet a move made out of utter helplessness.

The aftermath of the locust plague was especially severe. Great Jing desperately needed time to rest and recover; it had to retreat, or else it would completely collapse from within.

In the Borderland, Yu Youyu played her Bone Flute. This flute was carved from the finger bone of a Great Demon that had died by her sword years ago.

She had been in the Southern Parts for quite some time now and had slain her fair share of monsters and demons.

Yet after all these years, she still didn't know what she was working so tirelessly for.

People shouted about righteousness, but she couldn't see where this righteousness lay. All she saw were people spilling their blood, utterly deceived by it all.

The history books wouldn't even record their names. In the end, the only ones who profited were the aloof immortals sitting high above.

Yu Youyu wanted to leave this place.

She had been considering it for a long time.

She had looked all across this world and finally found a way out.

Matters of the human dao should end with the human dao.

"Not a bad tune."

A figure walked over.

Yu Youyu glanced sideways. The figure was very familiar; she recognized him at a glance.

It was Yan Nantian.

The emperor who, according to the masses, was already dead.

After all these years, Yan Nantian's face bore two new scars, both left behind from bloody battles with demons.

Yu Youyu asked, "You have the free time to come out?"

"It's stuffy inside," Yan Nantian replied. "I came out to take a look, and I didn't expect to hear a tune."

He paused for a moment before asking bluntly, "You're leaving?"

Yu Youyu nodded.

"Heading north."

"North?" Yan Nantian paused in surprise. "You aren't leaving the Mortal World?"

"Why would I leave?"

"I thought you would be going to the Immortal Realm."

Yu Youyu shook her head. "I like it here."

She pointed in a direction and said, "My home is over there. Though I don't know whose home it is now."

Looking at Yan Nantian, she added, "I have things I care about, too."

"Then why are you heading north..."

Yu Youyu smiled. "I don't like those lofty immortals. They only came here for their own self-interest. Since this is a matter of the human dao, it should be resolved by the human dao."

Yan Nantian was taken aback.

Then he heard Yu Youyu say, "I want this world to be a place where every person is like a dragon."

Hearing these words, Yan Nantian froze.

"You still need to be careful with this."

Yu Youyu glanced at him. "You're already dead in the eyes of the world. You don't need to worry about such things anymore, do you?"

She continued, "Look at those Supreme Immortals who descended to the mortal realm. Whether soldiers or commoners, everyone has to treat them with utmost reverence. This mortal tragedy was orchestrated by humans, and now they have to kneel and beg just to earn a shred of help from these Supreme Immortals. How pathetic."

"Since ancient times, the jianghu has used martial force to break the laws," Yan Nantian said. "If martial artists are like this, how much more so for those with Divine Abilities and Daoist magic?"

"Who knows."

Yu Youyu let out a long breath. "That's exactly what I plan to do. Who can stop me? As the saying goes, one cannot succeed without going a little mad."

She stared into Yan Nantian's eyes and asked, "This world appears prosperous on the surface, but in truth, the illness has entered the vitals. The ones eyeing this place now aren't humans anymore, but demons and monsters. It has even reached the point where the royal bloodline faces extinction. If we continue to cower in fear at a time like this, our end is already sealed."

"Why do you say that?" Yan Nantian frowned. "The Investiture of the Gods hasn't ended yet. Surely it hasn't reached such a dire state."

Yu Youyu smiled. "Investiture of the Gods? What gods are they even investing?"

Yan Nantian paused, a bit confused.

"It's all a scam," Yu Youyu said. "If you understood that, perhaps you'd be able to understand me."

Yan Nantian watched as she tucked away her Bone Flute and left the area.

After that day, he never saw Yu Youyu on the Southern Domain Frontier again. He didn't know where she had gone.

But half a year later.

A massive upheaval shook Great Jing.

Rumors spread through the jianghu that Immortal Arts had appeared in the world. Countless martial artists scrambled to seize them, making a bloody storm inevitable.

At first, some dismissed it as completely unfounded nonsense and simply stood by to watch.

But when someone actually managed to cultivate those Immortal Arts, everyone lost their composure.

The jianghu descended into absolute chaos.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Court secretly established a new organization.

—Called the Nine Immortal Guard.

A massive, unfathomable game of chess had begun.

Yu Youyu didn't care how many people would die right now. To her, these casualties were far fewer than those who died in a single day at the Border Pass.

She needed to experiment, to try and find a method of Cultivation that anyone could practice.

She wanted this world to be a place where every person was like a dragon!

...

Watching everything unfold in the Mortal World, Xiao Dongxu secretly shook his head.

In his eyes, this was simply an impossible endeavor.

There were countless mortals in the world. If just anyone could take up Cultivation, the world wouldn't look the way it did. Throughout history, let alone in the Mortal World, even in the Cultivation World—a place overflowing with cultivation methods—there had never been a single manual that someone with incomplete aptitude could practice.

More often than not, it was the cultivation method that chose the person, let alone in a place like the Mortal World, which secretly harbored turbid qi.

However, two other Daoist priests in the Mortal World paid particular attention to this matter.

Daoist Wuwei asked, "Do you think she can pull this off?"

Daoist Sanyuan pondered for a moment before sighing. "You and I both know the answer to that, don't we?"

Daoist Wuwei let out a soft sigh. "Every person like a dragon..."

"These past two days, I've occasionally found myself wondering," Daoist Sanyuan said. "If she really manages to create a cultivation method that anyone can practice, what would the landscape of this Mortal World become..."

An image involuntarily surfaced in Daoist Wuwei's mind as well.

The two old Daoist priests fell deep into thought.

Deep down, they both hoped Yu Youyu could actually achieve all of this.

Yet when they thought about it carefully, they couldn't help but feel it was nothing more than a fool's dream.